


Broken Wings

by introvertedpeg



Series: Guardian Series [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: Canon Related, F/M, Follows Canon, Past Relationship(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-04
Updated: 2015-05-05
Packaged: 2018-03-29 00:25:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 21
Words: 57,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3875491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/introvertedpeg/pseuds/introvertedpeg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trying to save one of her students, Fallon Lumiar finds herself on the Surface of the land of Hyrule. The events that would follow become clear to her as she fights to keep her students safe, but it was never as easy as that. The confusing attraction she feels towards the Demon Lord was just one of the many hurdles in her path to guarding them from the evil trying to break free.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Falling

Warm air wrapped around me, enveloping my Loftwing and I into the summer breeze as we coasted along the patterns of wind. I gripped onto Leila's, my Loftwing's, purple feathers telling her silently that I was tired. Crowing in reply she voiced concern for my health and sank lower on the breeze and closer to Skyloft.

"I'll be fine Leila, it's been a while since you and I were able to fly together," was my reply. I knew Leila was unable to understand my speech, but through our connection she knew what I meant.

A low croon was what I received and she flapped her large purple and blue wings once and we started to fly closer to the Lumpy Pumpkin. I shook my head quickly, I wanted for us to be alone for a while so I could think.

The Wing Ceremony is in just a few hours, yet Link hasn't bothered to train in such a long time. The thought that my favorite student would not pass the test sent a queasy feeling to my stomach. All day I've been having a feeling that something would happen, that something would go wrong, and it had only grown stronger with each heartbeat. Speaking of which, where was that crimson Loftwing of his?  
Leila turned her head so that she could see me with one giant yellow eye. No, Leila hasn't seen Link's Loftwing since early this morning.

Hopefully Link and his Loftwing were fine and Link was just taking care of the crimson Loftwing like I'd taught him to. Perhaps that was it. The feeling bubbling in my stomach didn't dissipate however, only doubling until I felt like I was going to be sick.

Sensing my queasiness Leila quickly made her way through a warp-stone, soon flying over Skyloft. I clutched her feathers again, bile rising to my throat. I couldn't land like this, my hands wouldn't have enough grip to hold onto the sailcloth from my own Wing Ceremony. As softly as she could Leila landed and trotted over to the doors of the Academy and cawed while I hunched over.

Opening the door, Horwell quickly grasped the situation and took me gently from the saddle as Leila sat down. By this point I knew I was sick and I didn't mind Horwell holding me protectively as he made his way to the bathroom downstairs, ignoring anyone who cried out in worry. Horwell held my hair back as I got rid of my breakfast from this morning, trying to sooth me by tracing circles on my back. Instead I only felt more disgusted and my stomach clamped again. Eventually I sat up and look at Horwell.

"Aren't you glad I broke it off?" I asked jokingly, knowing I looked like a wreck. Sweat covered my body and sick-induced tears leaked down my face.

Trying not to laugh Horwell handed me a cup of water to rinse out with, "What made you so sick?"

"Nervous," I muttered shamefully.

Horwell raised an eyebrow in surprise, "You? Nervous? If you're this sick when you're nervous, I'm glad I don't have to take care of you when you're truly sick!"

"For Link. That's why I'm nervous." I ended the sentence.

Horwell paused in his astonishment, "Does Link mean that much to you?" I thought I saw a trace of hurt in his eyes, but I ignored it. He would have to get over me eventually.

"He's the closest thing to family I have, Horwell."

He sighed, grabbing a towel and began to wipe of my face, "I understand. Although I was once the closest thing as well." After that he was silent until he asked for permission to help me up to my room.

With his help I was able to make it up to my room, out of my chain mail, and under the blankets. And there he left me with orders to not get up and most specifically, not to go to the Wing Ceremony.

Disregarding that first order I shakily sat up and reached for a pencil and some paper. If I wasn't able to go to the Wing Ceremony then I needed to tell Link somehow that I was there for him. The letter was brief and wished him good luck, but it still took a toll out of me. I asked Leila to bring it to him when he woke up, for I was certain he was still asleep by at this point of the day.

Although I mentally protested it, I realized the only way I would get better was if I slept. I hated the idea of being asleep in case something happened, but my body wouldn't be able to fight in any case.

Right before I fell asleep I wondered at that thought. Why would I need to be able to fight?

*******

My eyes opened with a snap, every hair on my body standing on edge. What had woken me up? I searched my dreams for a hint of a nightmare, but all I could remember was darkness. My body felt stiff and I realized I was holding my breath. That feeling in my stomach was back, and worse than before.

A jolt ran down my spine, causing my body to tense up again and me to utter a small gasp. Something was not right.

I remembered when I had felt this feeling before; it was right before an accident that caused the death of Zelda's mother. I had just been made an orphan, but I was so sick that Oreille came to take care of me.

It was worse this time.

My body jumped out of my bed and I felt sore and sick all over. I leaned against my desk as a wave of dizziness washed over me and I straightened. Pulling my chain mail over my head I felt the familiar weight land on my shoulders and my blue tunic over that. I reached into my wardrobe and brought out my sword and shield as well as a few potions I have been saving along with my stash of Rupees. It was just a feeling, but I sensed I would need them. Glancing at the window I could tell that I had only slept for about four hours. As I ran out the door I quickly pulled my hair away from my face and into a braid so it wouldn't get in my face as I flew. Or fought, a part of my mind whispered to me. My lips pressed together in a firm line. I hated to do it, but if I must I would fight for my people.

The door opened up at my touch, revealing Instructor Owlan. He turned to me in surprise, "Fallon, you're still supposed to be in bed!"

"I'm feeling better," I lied, trying to decide where the trouble I was sensing was going to come from. "By the way, how went the Wing Ceremony?"

"Link won," Owlan smiled, "You trained that boy well, Fallon. Although he almost didn't make it in time. Groose, Strich, and Cawlin stole and hid his Loftwing but he was able to get to him in time to make it to the Wing Ceremony."

Anger slightly boiled in me at the thought of foul play. Next time I see them I was going to give those boys a lecture on chivalry. "Where's Link right now?"

Owlan thought for a moment, "He and Zelda should be up at the Goddess' Temple right now. Though I imagine they're done and flying around by now."

"Thanks," I quickly set off in the direction of the nearest platform and dove off. Quickly whistling Leila swooped under me and carried me over Skyloft. My eyes scanned the clouds for the two Loftwings of Link and Zelda and I spotted them across Skyloft from me.

Nothing looked wrong, but I started to slowly glide towards them anyhow. As I got closer I noticed the smiles on the two youngsters' faces and I smiled myself. Those two were so good together, though Zelda seemed to push Link around a lot, sometimes literally. Then I looked below the two and saw dark clouds swirling.

The smile dropped from my face and I swore. "Leila!" I shouted, alerting her to charge. As she spun I saw the clouds leap up and form a twister, with Zelda in the middle of it. My heart stopped at what was happening.

The tornado ripped Zelda away from her Loftwing as Link was sent flying in the other direction from the force. Leila flew as fast as she could and we flew right into the twister. This wasn't like any other twister that you would normally see, there was something wicked about it. And no matter how hard I held on, I soon found myself falling through space without Leila beneath me.

Everything seemed to slow down and I saw Zelda below me, the force of the wind tossing her about. Her eyes were closed and body pale. Gritting my teeth I realized that I needed to get to her and dove, cutting through the wind until I grabbed Zelda and wrapped her in my arms. It was then that I noticed how far we had fallen, and still were falling. The clouds were fast approaching, and there was nothing that would stop us from going beneath them. My heart berated my ears and blood rushed in my veins. We were going to die. No one has ever been below the clouds, not in hundreds of years. Even if there was something still below the clouds, we would not land smoothly. I could not hold onto Zelda and use my sailcloth. I, at the very least, was sure to die.

Closing my eyes I sent a prayer to the Goddess to keep Zelda alive, all the while positioning my body under Zelda's so that when the impact came, I would take most of it. It would mean that I at the very least would have a broken back, but I doubted that I would make the landing. All I knew was that Zelda could not die.

We spun inside that tornado for what seemed like eternity, winds pulling at our bodies ferociously like rabid Loftwings. I kept my eyes closed the entire time, not wanting to know when I was about to hit the ground and die. My hands shook and clenched, my body telling me what I already knew and what everything was afraid of: I was going to die.

The thought sent a panic through me, and I rebelled at the thought that I would never do something worthwhile with my life. I would never ride Leila again. I would never scold or teach my students again. I would never pat Link's head when he did a job well done again.   
I would never visit my parents' graves again. I would never joke around with Henya about how Link doesn't eat enough or how Groose is a muscle head.

I would never find that special someone to live the rest of my life with. 

Then, the panic subsided, leaving me in peace. If I wasn't meant to do those things again, then so be it. I was sad of course but there was nothing I could do about it. At least I wasn't feeling sick anymore.

The wind rushed past my ears and my braid came undone. My only hope was that if someone finds us that it isn't a monster and it doesn't try to eat me or kill Zelda. Hopefully someone will find my body and bury it somewhere nice. The thought of a monster eating me, even though I would be dead, disgusted me.

Those were my last thoughts, right before I hit the ground.


	2. Demonic Intentions

"Damn it!" A scowl made its way onto my face and I furrowed my brows. How had that girl gotten away from me? One second she was in my grip and the next I couldn't sense her, like something else had overtaken her. My carefully calculated plans were ruined, all because one woman had to be the hero and jump into my lovely storm! Her weight upset the storm, and instead of the Goddess' girl landing into my hands she was now farther away than I anticipated.  
  
No matter, I knew she would wait for a little while. Falling a thousand feet tends to do that. With that thought a smile grew again. And hey, if that woman was still there and alive, I could smack her around a bit as well!  
  
My patience was not something to mess with, and she would soon find that out.  
  
Rather than wait any longer, I decided to grab my little princesses before the clock struck twelve. I appeared on the outskirts of the clearing they had fallen into with a smirk, hoping ever so fondly that the woman was still alive.  
  
Adjusting my cloak, the villain always has to look good, I strode into the clearing all grins and giggles. Until I saw only one body. And it was not Her Majesty's body either!  
  
Rage coated every fiber of my being, causing the world to darken a moment. Oh how I hoped even more that the twit was still alive! Then I would have the satisfaction of seeing her expression as I ran her through! It has been so long since I've tasted human blood, and the thought sent a tingling through my fingers.  
  
Disappearing I teleported to the woman's side. I noticed and empty bottle next to her that had the last drops of a heart potion in it and footsteps that led away from her and towards that godforsaken temple! Looking over the woman below me I was elated to see her back moving up and down ever so slightly. So she was alive! I knew there was some sense of fairness in the world now, for a punching bag to land in my lap. I still could not see the woman's face though, and I wanted to see how her face was before it was contorted in pain.  
  
I grabbed her long black hair and lifted her by it, causing the smallest of whimpers to exit from her lips. I stared at those lips for a moment, surprised such a sound came from them. My eyes moved up from her lips, taking in high cheekbones and eyes that were framed by black eyelashes. Her face was attractive, I'd give her that. But it would be so much more beautiful when coated in the red of her blood. I gave her body an appreciative glance and admitted that under different circumstances I would have made time to properly give her the attention I would like to.  
  
My eyes traveled back to her face, smiling widely when I was greeted by smoldering purple eyes. Oh yes, this woman was beautiful. It was such a pity that we met this way; it's been such a long time since I've seen any sort of female worth looking at or admiring. Perhaps I should keep her for later, when she was at full health. Her one leg was obviously broken and by the way her face contorted ever so beautifully every time she tried to breathe she has a broken lung. It wouldn't be the same if I didn't cause her that pain in the first place.  
  
Then she spoke, and it was like music to my ears.  
  
"Where… is Zelda?" Her voice, oh my, her voice was commanding even as she trembled in pain and fear. This woman was definitely a keeper.  
  
I smiled ever so nicely and replied by dropping her on the ground, causing her to yelp in pain. "Is that the tart's name?" I turned away from her and towards the footprints, "She off and ran, drinking a potion and left you to die my dear."  
  
Out of the corner of my eye I saw her eyes narrow as she began to slowly reach into her pocket for something. A weapon perhaps? As I saw her bring out a bottle I laughed, "Dear, that potion will not mend broken bones."  
  
She paused and glared with such a force that I blinked, and drank the potion anyways. I raised an eyebrow as I watched her pain disappear and leg fix itself smoothly back in place. "Don't underestimate me." She growled; any scrapes she had gained from falling gone. It was then that I noticed that she had a sword as she swung it at me.  
  
I was able to disappear in time, catching her by surprise when I reappeared behind her, arms wrapping around her slight frame. I felt chain mail underneath her blue tunic that she wore and smiled. "Aren't you a little tempest?" Her body stiffened and she huffed in anger. My fingers danced down her arm, immobilizing her sword from trying to attack me. "Let's not try that again shall we? I've already let you live once, don't plan on it happening again."  
  
She shivered in my arms at the last sentence and I knew I had tamed her. "Now dear… What is your name?"  
  
"Fallon," she replied, giving me the gift of calling this beautiful creature by her name. Fallon trembled in my arms, from anger or fear I was not sure. Her face was a mask of calm, which irritated me.  
  
"Well dear Fallon, where are you from?" I knew the answer, but I loved to hear her voice. Soon enough it would be screaming in pain, but just how it was now was enough to send chills up my spine.  
  
"The Sky." Her voice chocked for a second and I thought I saw moisture gather in her eyes. Oh my, we couldn't have her crying quite yet.  
  
"My dear Fallon," I drawled, "Are you the Goddess' Chosen Hero?" The thought came to my mind; a brilliant, delicious thought. If this woman was the Hero, my victory would be oh so sweet.  
  
"No. I don't know what you are talking about." Now she was confused the poor thing. But I myself was even more confused. The prophecy only spoke of two humans falling from the sky, but it never specified their gender except that one for sure was a girl.  
  
"How very interesting Fallon." I slithered away from her, circling her. "Do you know where you are Fallon?"  
  
Fallon kept her eyes on me the entire time, body relaxing. "The surface. That much I know."  
  
"Very good," I complimented her, eyes traveling over her body again. She appeared intelligent, unlike some of her ancestors. And a little genetic inbreeding looked wonderful on her. The male part of me took note of things like her wide hips and developed chest, realizing that she would make fine children. Not that I would ever want children, the noisy brats. I wasn't even entirely sure if I could have children, which could very possibly be a blessing. When I faced her front I bowed mockingly, "Demon Lord Ghirahim, at your service."

 

* * *

  
  
The pale man in front of me looked up from his sarcastic bow, eyes going over me again like I was a piece of meat. I scowled in return, snapping "What the hell do you want with me?"  
  
Ghirahim straightened; a sardonic smile on his face. "With you? Why my dear all I want is you." A tongue quickly emerged from his mouth, licking his lips. "And what help you may offer me."  
  
Disgust rolled over me in waves. Never had a man been so upfront and act like such a pig towards me. Sure I've had a couple of students look me over but nothing to the degree of this man. Unfortunately a small part of me recognized him as being handsome, but I brushed that thought away. I would control myself and not let this demon have me as he wished. "I'm afraid I will have to decline Lord Ghirahim." My eyes traced a shudder that ran through him as I ended the sentence. What the hell was with this man?  
  
He took a step towards me, and quicker than I could react he grabbed my chin. "Fallon dear, I never said you have a choice in this matter." His voice was melodic and hypnotizing in a way that made me want to drop down and let him have me. Black eyes burned into me and he traced my bottom lip with his thumb.  
  
"I suggest you get away from me now sir, before I have to force you." My voice was controlled and eyes steady. I would control myself. I would not lose to a beating heart.  
  
"Oh really now?" His breath coasted over my face, "And just how are you going to do that my dear?"  
  
Resolution formed within me and I brought up my leg, "By doing this!" With all the strength I possessed I kicked him in the stomach, sending him wobbling backwards, holding his stomach in pain. I dove for my sword, quickly bringing it between Ghirahim and me. "If you touch me again I promise to cut off the hand that does."  
  
Ghirahim straightened, "Stupid girl. That was very stupid." Anger contorted his face and the red cloak disappeared. With more of himself revealed, I saw how lean he was, but he packed muscle into his frame. My question was how was he not cold? He didn't have much on honestly, so how was he not shivering?  
  
The question disappeared as Ghirahim advanced, an aura of destruction following. I swung my sword at him in an arc, the fool had no weapon! That thought soon turned to distress as soon as my blade stopped and his hand glowed red. Panic set through me and I pulled back hastily, cause my sword to fly through the air and out of my hand. My shield wouldn't be able to give him any damage, so I threw it down and began to run. If I could somehow make it to the large building I could barely see I would be safe. Somehow I knew deep inside that I would if I just made it.  
  
His laughter reverberated everywhere at once and I heard a snap. A wall of flames that eerily looked like diamonds appeared five feet in front of me and I slowed to a halt, looking around for another way out. Some vines caught my eye and I made my way towards those. Halfway up I sensed him beneath me, smiling. I had to get away, if it was the last thing I do. My arms were growing numb from climbing and my stomach grumbled in hunger and pain. I made it up another three feet when I lost grip and fell for the second time that day.


	3. Keep Up

When I awoke there were two things I noticed immediately. One was the hunger that ate away at my stomach. The second was that I could not move my arms or legs. Puzzled as to why I wouldn't be able to move I tried to remember what had happened to me.  
  
I was flying above Skyloft when I got sick and had to head back, missing the Wing Ceremony. Woke up and had a bad feeling so I went to investigate…  
  
Realization dawned on me and I uttered one curse of a word so foul even Eargus would balk. I know realized the danger I was in and quickly looked around to take in my surroundings. I was laid on my side, trees higher than any I've seen in Skyloft surrounded the area, making me feel secluded from the rest of the world with the only other visible thing the blue sky over me.  
  
As my eyes latched onto the patch of home despair flew through me. Whoever this Lord Ghirahim was, he would never let me go most likely. From what I remember of him acting like, I doubted I would live very long either way. I shivered as I remembered his hands on my body, shocked that such a being as loathsome as he existed. Now I knew why I was still alive, and the knowledge filled me with dread and another wave of disgust.  
  
Trying to take my mind off of that subject I looked down at my hands and legs, entranced by how I was held captive. My hands were bound together by a series of diamond figures. I wasn't completely sure what the diamonds were made of, but it reminded me of the feeling Ghirahim gave off when he got mad. Although I had a feeling they wouldn't, I wondered that if I was able to find a weak link within the cuffs I could break free.  
  
I was so caught up in staring and figuring out the weakness of my bonds that I didn't notice the presence slowly making its way towards me.  
  
"Do you like your new bracelets dear?" The voice still had that melodic tilt to it, his accent stranger than any I've heard.   
  
Freezing, I felt fury burn its way into me. My eyes met brown ones, fire channeling its way through. "How dare you." I spat, pride coming out of nowhere.  
  
Paying no mind to my anger the pale demon crouched, fingers tracing my arm until he rested at the diamond links. "Beautiful aren't they?" Our eyes once again connected, "Beautiful cuffs for a beautiful slave."  
  
My eyebrows met in anger, the feeling bubbling in my stomach and coated my tongue. I remained quiet however, sensing he would just ignore me.  Instead I looked away, my cheek once again lying on the cold ground.  
  
Ghirahim didn't like that and I heard him growl before I felt my hair being torn out of their roots, forcing me to sit halfway up. "Look at me when I talk to you."  
  
I scowled, ignoring the pain in my scalp. This man was not going to gain my submission.  
Ghirahim sighed dramatically, "You could make this so easy on yourself silly woman. You just have to listen to me and the pain would go away!" He shifted his hand so that it supported my head rather than pulling on my hair. I saw him move so that his face was in my peripheral vision. "I may have no other choice but to hurt you for your attention!"  
  
I bit the inside of my cheek hard, copper taste filling in. Thoughts swirled in my head as I decided whether or not to give in. If I gave in then he would probably make it less painful. But if I did give in, any pride or self-confidence I once had would be gone. My final decision was that I was better to be in pain, but remain who I am.  
  
Waiting another moment or two Ghirahim made a sad sound, "How I hoped it wouldn't come to this so soon!" He pulled on my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. "That's much better, can't have you disobedient.  Until you speak or acknowledge me I will give you no food, no water, and not unshackle you."  
  
Dread piled in my already-empty stomach. Pain I could endure, but starvation?  
Ghirahim stood up, letting me fall to the floor again. "As soon as you speak my name I will give you food and water, and relax your restraints a tad."  
  
My instincts told me to give in, but my pride would not allow it. Sometimes there are points when pride is your downfall, and this may be one of those moments. Biting back my pride I growled, "Fine. You win." My eyes met his again, the anger gone from mine.  
  
A wide grin spread across Ghirahim's face, sending a shiver down my spine. With a snap the cuffs were gone, surprising me. When Ghirahim saw my expression he chuckled, "I lied. The sooner you were complacent the more I was going to loosen the bonds. Since you're such a good girl, I decided to get rid of them altogether."  His hand extended towards me and I cautiously took it. With seemingly no effort on his part he lifted me off the ground.  
  
As soon as I was on my feet I let go of his hand as if it were a snake, causing him to frown. Ghirahim stepped closer to me and I tensed.  His hand came up to my face, trailing down my cheek until reaching my chin where he grabbed it. My eyes met his calmly, confusing him.  
  
"Who are you?" I was calm, no trace of my previous anger in my veins. "What do you want from me?" I was genuinely curious and I felt some sort of power course through me.  
  
Ghirahim smirked, "I am your master, the Demon Lord of the surface. You will call me Lord Ghirahim or Master. You will do whatever I want you to do, even if it would displease you."  His eyes traveled down my frame again, approval plain.  
  
Lips tilted in a frown, "You are not my master, and I am my own."  
  
Chuckling slightly, Ghirahim raised his hand, "Looks like I'll need to teach you better my little slave."  
  
The hand moved down quickly, but I moved quicker. My body moving faster than I thought it could, ducking under the swinging fist as I brought the heel of my palm up. My hand met Ghirahim's chin soundly, causing his head to snap up with enough force to break an ordinary human's neck.  I swept his feet out from under him, noticing as he fell that my sword was by his side. Before he could blink my sword was at his throat, a foot on his chest to keep him down. All of this happened within the span of ten seconds, leaving me trying to remember how exactly I managed to complete this feat.  
  
My eyes looked down on Ghirahim's face as he flew into a state of anger, not afraid in the least. He was simply a big baby. I leaned down, sword pressing into the soft flesh of his throat, "What was that about being a slave?"  
  
Right in front of my eyes Ghirahim disappeared in a cloud of diamonds, causing me to blink. Before I could straighten I felt the blade of a sword press against my own neck, hard enough to draw blood. Ghirahim whispered hotly in my ear, "You disrespectful human," spitting the word as if it was poison. "You  _dare_  draw your blade against me? Who the hell do you think you are?! You aren't the Goddess's Hero, you aren't the Goddess, yet you defy me?" I felt something wet trace the wound on my throat and shivered unconsciously, "You should be grateful that I've let you live this long!"  
  
"Have I hurt your pride my Lord? I am sorry that I have dented such a thing." I replied monotonously, sarcasm just a syllable away.  
  
"Shut up!" He barked, power flowing away from him.  
  
I relaxed my arms and focused on a faraway tree, "If I am such an inconvenience, then why have you yet to dispose of me?"  
  
Ghirahim's sword paused and he hissed, "What exactly are you Fallon?"  
  
His question puzzled me but I answered, "I am a human. That is all."  
  
"You are lying. Humans don't move that fast." His hand roughly grabbed my face, making me look at him again. "What in the hell are you Fallon?"  
  
"I am a human, a Knight of Skyloft. I am myself, nothing more and nothing less," I repeated calmly.  
  
Curiosity shone in his dark eyes, "Do you not know yourself?" A grin spread wide on his face, "How… interesting." With that he removed his sword from my throat, walking around   
to my front with his arms crossed. "You are a very interesting specimen Fallon, one I hope to further investigate."  
  
Raising an eyebrow I replied, "And what do you exactly mean by that?"  
  
Turning back to me Ghirahim replied, "If you promise me your help, I will help you discover who you really are."  
  
My eyes narrowed, gut instinct telling me that this was a bad idea, "Why would you need my help?"  
  
Sighing dramatically Ghirahim brought a hand to his forehead, "My master needs help escaping some bonds a pesky immortal put on him years ago! It was simply an unfair thing to do! All my master was doing was what he loved best and he was punished for it! Isn't it just hypocrisy!?"     
  
Pausing for a moment I thought it over, "How would you help me?"  
  
Ghirahim smiled, "I've met all sorts of different people out there, and I am sure at least one could help you figure out the answer. There's also a couple tomes here and there speaking of species similar to humans but are different."  
  
The thought rolled around in my mind, making me wonder: Do I really want to know who I am? My answer was simple, "Thanks, but no thanks." I grabbed my sword, sheathing it while making sure I had everything else. "So, if you don't mind I will be leaving now." I began to walk away, grabbing my shield from where it lay on the ground.  
  
Apparently Ghirahim had other plans, for he called out, "Don't you want to see- what was her name?- Zelda again? I need to find her in order to save my master."  
  
I paused a moment longer and shook my head. "I'll find her myself." And I continued on, making it pass the ring of trees before Ghirahim made another attempt.  
  
I felt his hands on my shoulders, arms sliding forward until his chest was pressed against my back. "I don't believe you understand Fallon dear." His voice was low with a rough edge, "I want, no, need for you to come with me."  
  
Blinking lazily I shrugged him off and continued walking, "Then you will have to keep up with me Ghirahim."  
  
I swore I heard his teeth grind with that statement and I hoped he would leave me alone after that. But it seems that the Goddess would have something different in store for me.   
  
As I continued on, I felt Ghirahim catch up until he was walking next to me. I smirked at his scowl, but didn't say anything.  
  
Nothing would hold me back.


	4. Kikiwi and Blushes

As Ghirahim and I walked through what he called "Faron Woods" I was reminded that I hadn't eaten in a long time. My glare kept Ghirahim from saying anything other than, "You humans need food don't you?"

"And you don't?" I replied, curious at how he phrased it.

Flipping his hair Ghirahim answered ever-so-humbly, "Everything needs to eat to live. I'm merely like a snake and have large meals that fill me for long periods of time. The last thing I ate was a Moldarach five years ago."

I rolled my eyes slightly, "Whatever a Moldarach is, I still need food." Coming to a halt I looked around the forest to see if I could recognize anything edible. "What is exactly food here?"

Ghirahim shrugged, "Unfortunately I do not know what you humans eat." He pointed to a series of weeds in the ground, "You might as well try those."

I stared at the series of dark green roots a small distance from us and decided to investigate whether they would be edible. My feet carried me towards the plant when all of a sudden something sprung out of it and tried to eat me instead. I gasped and drew my blade, aiming for where its gaping jaws met. The blade passed clean through and the monster shriveled up faster than you could say "Loftwing."

Heart pounding, I ignored Ghirahim's laughter and looked closer at the dead plant. It looked like some sort of seed was falling out of it, perhaps I could eat those. Picking one up carefully, I smelled it and decided against eating the seed. With a sigh I dropped it, only to notice that my tunic was stained red.

"Great" I grumbled, looking at my blood that was slowly leaking out of my arm. "That's going to be a pain to wash." And rather than let it get stained more, I pulled off my outer tunic so that I wore my chain mail and undershirt.

Ghirahim's laughing immediately stopped and I felt his hands on my waist, "Now Fallon dear, why are you stripping?" His voice was light, but I knew he was thinking over something else.

Sighing I ignored his advances, showing him the stained tunic, "I'd rather not have a larger stain than there already is."

One of Ghirahim's hands left my waist to find the wound on my arm, lifting it for him to see, "That's just a scratch Fallon, and it would have closed up in five minutes or so." Then he did something that should have disgusted me but didn't. Pushing up the chain mail and shirt Ghirahim kissed the wound. I stood shocked that he would do that. I felt something wet touch the wound and shivered, astonished at the nerve Ghirahim had. Ghirahim was licking my wound, like some sorry puppy almost!

Blushing I yanked myself out of his hold. Ignoring him I ripped part of my undershirt up and wrapped the wound, using my teeth to tie it off.

Arms wrapped themselves around me again and Ghirahim whispered in my ear, "Your blood is delicious Fallon. I hope you'll let me taste more of you from now on." With that he nipped my ear and disengaged himself.

Shaking my head to get his whispers out of my ears I replied, "Must you always be like that?"

"Like what dear?" Ghirahim asked innocently, finger wrapping itself in my hair.

"Why must you act like a pervert all the time?" I rephrased the question

Ghirahim laughed, "It's one of my character flaws dear, just like how you and I get angry   
in a split second."

"It's not very attractive you know," I pointed out quickly, thinking about how Horwell was so sweet when courting me.

Shrugging Ghirahim replied, "I'm attractive enough as it is. Besides, I've seen some of those humans you call men. Most are not very attractive themselves so women have always flocked to me."

Anger mounted inside me and I spun to meet his face, "Do not make that assumption with me Ghirahim. And my ex-fiancé was very attractive, for your information. I'd prefer him over you any day."

Ghirahim stared me down, a grin spreading on his face, "Ex-fiancé? You still left him though."

I crossed my arms, "It just didn't feel right that's all. We were young when we made the decision. Who knows? When I return to Skyloft we might get back together."

Something like panic crossed in Ghirahim's brown eyes and he leaned down, "Won't you even let me at least try to persuade you?"

My eyes narrowed, "What is there to persuade? You'll never have me Ghirahim."

Chuckling Ghirahim wrapped one arm around my waist, bringing our hips together, "Never say never Fallon. It will only lead to trouble, and I can be very persuasive." His voice dropped low, causing a shiver to run down my body.

"Back away Ghirahim," I whispered, electricity running through my veins. My eyes seemed to always return to his lips even as I moved to look at a tree or something, anything other than the man holding me.

"I don't think I will. You see, I'm a Demon Lord, and I get what I want. I also don't really care what other people think. So no, I won't." Oh he was enjoying this, the little bastard.

My glare intensified as my will broke through the dizziness I was feeling, "I need to eat, Ghirahim."

He smiled at my glare, "You can wait a couple of minutes, I think."

"No, I can't. I was sick before I got here and haven't eaten anything since last night. If I do not eat soon you will have a very cranky woman on your hands."

Ghirahim sighed, "Why must you ruin all the fun Fallon?" He began to remove his arm, "But one little kiss won't kill you."

All of a sudden I was pressed between a tree and Ghirahim's body. I groaned at the impact, making Ghirahim grin. Then he dove in, forcing our lips to meet. I immediately went stiff and unresponsive to his kiss, but his lips pleaded with mine. My body responded automatically, causing him to hum approvingly. His arms wrapped themselves around my body and pulled me closer. In response I tilted my head up to meet his lips better. As soon as I felt Ghirahim's tongue try to enter in my mouth however, I came to my senses.

Pulling away from him I brought my hand up to slap him. But then I thought better of it and just pushed him away. "Enough," I said breathlessly. "You had no right to do that; I should have slapped you for kissing me."

Ghirahim's face went from shocked to cocky and he leaned a hand against the tree behind me, "But you still kissed me back." He winked and licked his lips, "Told you I was a good kisser, though you aren't too bad yourself."

Disgusted with myself I pushed past him and back to the road, reminding myself that I needed food. From then on I ignored Ghirahim, punishing him for taking such liberties. I don't care who he is, no one kisses me without my permission! I was walking through some tall grass when I noticed a part of the grass… shivering?

Cautious after the event with the man-eating plant I advanced with my hand on the hilt of my sword. As I got closer I noticed that under the grass there was something else shivering. It was small a brown, looking soft to the touch. Deciding that whatever it was it wouldn't hurt me I knelt down and asked softly, "Hello?"

Little black and white eyes peeked out from underneath, causing a shrill "Kwee-koo!" to come from it.

Before it could scurry away I caught it and made it look at me, "Hey! I won't hurt you!" 

The little creature calmed down, the grass on its back furling into a small ball, "O-Okay… I guess you aren't going to eat me?"

I shook my head, smiling gently. Whatever this creature was it was as adorable as a Remlit. "No, I'm not going to eat you. I'm Fallon, what's your name?"

"I'm Lopsa the Kikiwi!" It declared proudly

Ghirahim leaned over me, staring at Lopsa, "What exactly is a Kikiwi?"

"Why I'm a Kikiwi!" Lopsa replied confused, "What are you?"

Ghirahim smirked, "Demon Lord Ghirahim of course!"

Lopsa appeared confused, "Okay…"

"Lopsa, do you happen to know of any edible food nearby?" I smiled, "I haven't eaten in a while so I'm pretty hungry."

Worried for a second Lopsa replied, "There are some berries over that way!"

Placing down the Kikiwi I stood, "Could you maybe take me to them? I don't want to get lost."

Lopsa nodded, "Sure! Just follow me!" And off we went to find some berries for myself.


	5. Don't Even

That woman was torturing me, in one way I did not like. I would feel her eyes glance over to me, feel the weight of how they rested on me, and then she would look back to the path she had decided to walk on. We would talk; her voice calm and carrying through the forest. Her form moved like a predator, sure and confident in each movement it made. Her lips would articulate each vowel with an almost music-like quality to it.

The kiss I had stolen from her had been electrifying, leaving me hungry for more. I replayed the moment in my mind, slowing down right as I felt her lips begin to move against mine. Lips that were warm and supple, causing me to hum as she showed her expertise. It had been so long since I was able to kiss a woman, the only females in the past couple of centuries being either ugly as a Bokoblin or looking nothing like a human. Somehow, just that one kiss seemed to make up for those long years without any kind of release. Of course Fallon had been mad, telling me one thing that nearly made me slap her.

I was not allowed to touch her. I was not allowed to kiss those lips that I would love to stain in red. I was not allowed to touch her curves like I wanted to or see blood pour gracefully like a fountain down her chest and to the ground. Every time she spoke I tried to imagine her screaming, whether it is my name or the Goddess's, and every time a shiver of anticipation coursed through my veins. Two different lusts warred within me, and I knew that if I did not find an outlet soon both would come raging out.

Not that it would be a bad thing of course, I still wanted both to happen. Perhaps at different times however, for whenever I combined the two it just meant more of a mess to clean up. I also liked to have at least some control over myself, and I'd rather not go on a destructive rampage where I could possibly kill the Spirit Maiden. That would certainly not be a good thing.

So I waited patiently as Fallon ate some berries from the bush the Kikiwi had shown her before scampering off. All of a sudden Fallon was besides me again, a finger to her lips to signal silence. She steps closer to me, our chests barely touching. So close, yet so far.

"There's someone by the bush," Her voice whispered in my ear, causing chills to go up my back. That voice, ever calm, somehow always had that affect on me. The last person to be able to do that was-

Sighing I adjusted my cloak and went to investigate, and oh did I find something interesting.

~*~

My eyes traced Ghirahim's form as he stared through the bush, eyes calculating the chances of somehow getting rid of him. So far he's only been an annoyance and I really needed to get to Zelda. I'm sure Headmaster Gaepora was worried sick about his daughter, and I missed Leila.

Ghirahim came back, pressing against me in order to whisper, "The one I know is dangerous, and the other I'm not completely sure who she is. But I am sure that they will try to harm Zelda."

Looking towards the bush I frowned and pulled away from Ghirahim, quietly moving back to the bush. Silently unsheathing my sword I crept around the bush, my eyes wide on the lookout for whoever-or whatever- was behind the bush. Immediately they landed on two figures, one male and one female.

The woman was about Link's height from what I could tell with her sitting down; with short, messy dark brown hair. From my estimates she looked around sixteen, which confused me slightly. Why would a teenager be after Zelda? She was slender as well, with the palest skin I've ever seen. She had a sword on her, which meant she could potentially be dangerous. I didn't know her skill level; I would have to be cautious.

The man was tall with dark skin and light blonde hair, and for whatever reason he reminded me of Ghirahim. That was odd. But there were markings all over him that seemed familiar, but I couldn't place where they were from.

Seeing me the two whirled around, the man coming to stand in front of the girl. However it was the girl that spoke, "Uh hi, what's up?" She was awfully surprised, her blue-green eyes wide.

Rather than go ahead and attack her I found my voice, "Are you after a girl named Zelda?" If they meant to harm her, I was pretty sure I could take them on. No one would hurt my students!

The woman's reply startled me. "Why? Is she okay? I just dropped her off with a few friends at Skyview Temple a little while ago. She was fine when I left. I know there's a demon after her! Oh crap! I shouldn't have left!" Her face was like an open book, worry written in her facial features.

Blinking slowly I let out my breath in the form of a sigh and sheathed my sword, "Then you are not after her." I saw the man relax with the last action performed. "I am Fallon, a Knight of Skyloft." Not that it meant much though. I extended my hand in a friendly hand shake.

She stood up and took my hand, smiling. "I'm Kaxalin, Knight of Farore." She looked over her shoulder to the man, who nodded in approval. 'Kaxalin' pointed to the man, introducing him as Furrie, her sword spirit and guide.

I stared at the man, wondering what she possibly meant by sword spirit. Nevertheless I held my hand out to him and was about to speak when Ghirahim interrupted me.

Ghirahim appeared between 'Furrie'and I, his face clouded in darkness. "Don't speak to these people Fallon dear." He stated simply, casting a quick glance behind him at Furrie.

Furrie spoke, "Well, if it isn't Ghirahim, my old rival. Why are you following a Skyloftian, who is not the Spirit Maiden around? Are you being a pervert or did she make a fool of you?" I snorted softly, knowing both were true.

Behind Furrie, Kaxalin squeaked, "Furrie! You'll just make him mad!" Why was she so afraid of Ghirahim? Sure he was scary as first, but he was just very dramatic when you got down to it.

Growling Ghirahim quickly snapped the first thing that came to his mind, "Be quiet you old wooden sword!" It was obvious he was trying to get out of this situation, an expression I often saw on my students when they were trying to hide something.

I decided to not let him go with this, poking him in the chest, "Tell me what is going on Ghirahim!"

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Leslie begin to speak, "Old wooden sword? Honestly Ghirahim, I expected better from you! Seriously, is that the best insult you can come up with? That's just sad, Debbie."

Ghirahim began to growl and Furrie turned to Kaxalin, "Mistress Kaxalin, I do not know wither to commend you for your clever and brave insult or to scold you for being very unwise." Was Ghirahim really that dangerous? He honestly didn't seem that scary to me. Ghirahim might be a total creep and egotistical as I've come to find out, but I didn't see him as that powerful.

"I'm Courage not Wisdom. If you wanted Wisdom then try my best bud Kat." Her face hid a sheepish grin.

Furrie smiled and looked back to Ghirahim, "She has a point Ghirahim, or should I start calling you Debbie as well?" His smile turned into a smirk as he folded his arms.

Well there went the thought of Ghirahim being scary. I voiced my question, plainly surprised, "Debbie?" Even I had to admit, it was a rather feminine name.

Throwing his head back and cursed quickly, "I should rip you all to shreds!" He grabbed my arm roughly, with enough strength that there would be a bruise later. I didn't show that he hurt me though, my face blank. Ghirahim pointed to me, getting right in my face, "You've already foiled my plans once! Will you please shut up while I take care of these miscreants so we can go on our way!?" He ran a hand through his hair, clearing trying to manage some stress. However I rolled at his command, not expecting to obey it anytime soon. "No one knows that Deborah is a song of victory!" Cue another eye roll from me. Ghirahim then turned his 'wrath' onto Kaxalin and Furrie, "YOU! If you hadn't bothered to open your mouths I would have left you alone!"

Kaxalin just rolled her eyes, starting to be less and less afraid of Ghirahim. I, however, saw this as an opportunity to rid Ghirahim from following me. Sighing, I quickly pulled my arm out of his crushing grip, "Ghirahim, if you're just going to stand there and rant, I still need to get Zelda and take her home! And I could do that very well without you!" I didn't face him, crossing my arms and jutting out one hip. It was a pose I'd come up with a while ago when I had to teach the 'men' of Skyloft that I would be perfectly fine with whatever they decreed 'too dangerous for a woman.' I glanced at him out of the corner of my eyes, asserting my independence.

I heard a snort come from Kaxalin and she nearly doubled over laughing, "Well, excuuuuuuse me Princess! It's kind of my job to foil your plans and generally annoy you. So there." Then, to prove her point somehow, she stuck her tongue out at Ghirahim.

Shaking my head at her humor, I effectively dodged Ghirahim's swiping arms and walked over to Kaxalin. "Could you take me to Zelda?" So far Kaxalin seemed far more reliable and easier to get along with than Ghirahim; she was actually very nice. I couldn't place it, but she felt familiar to me somehow.

Kaxalin opened her mouth to speak, but before she could Ghirahim wrapped his arms around my waist once again, bringing me closer to him. I felt his cool breath on my ear, sending chills down my back as he whispered, "Leave me and who will keep Zelda away from me?"

I froze, the pieces slowly coming together.


	6. Friends and Enemies

My mind raced, the dots connecting practically in front of my eyes. Ghirahim was out to get Zelda. Why would he want me along though, someone who would very obviously stop him from getting to Zelda?

Kaxalin's voice registered in my mind, "Ghirahim, there is more than one person to keep Zelda away from you and that includes me, the Goddess's Chosen Hero Link, a Shiekah, and two of my friends chosen to be Heroes by the Goddesses of old like me. I was chosen by Farore. I am the Heroine of Courage!" All the while she was drawing her sword with a hiss, "Zelda has more protectors than you realize! Now let Fallon go!" Her face was determined.

It touched me that Kaxalin, who was barely more than a stranger, would help Zelda and try to help me. I've always been on my own for a long time, so that fact that someone would do this made me make up my mind: she and I will be friends. What also surprised me slightly was that Link was this "Goddess's Chosen Hero." I almost expected it by then, I think.

"And how many can fight me full-on?" I felt him chuckle as his nose nuzzled into my neck, causing me to grimace. "I'm giving you a chance to run silly girl, you should take it."

Resolution formed within me and I looked at Kaxalin, "You may be right, but if I can help   
Zelda by keeping this big baby preoccupied I don't mind."

I felt Ghirahim rest his head on top of mine, "You hear that? Fallon's fine and I have no plans of hurting her quite yet." His hand ghosted to my hips, trying to bring them closer to his own.

"And even then," I interrupted him, not moving my hips with his hand, "I would probably smack him around a couple of times. I'm just glad Zelda's safe." I smiled gently, hoping that it would stay that way.

Ghirahim just had to add on, "For now."

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Scratch that last part please. I've managed to fall a thousand feet and still fight Ghirahim, I should be fine now." I paused, a thought coming to mind, "Though some food would be nice; I can't exactly fight him eating nothing but berries."

Kaxalin brings out a bag and tosses it to me with her left hand. Apparently she's left-handed. "Here, it may not be much." She then turns to glare at Ghirahim behind me, "You're nothing but a womanizer, Debbie." Kaxalin crossed her arms just as Furrie puts an arm around her. I notice the blush that Leslie was trying to hide and smiled.  
Ghirahim chuckled again, "Ah, but I am true to myself. And I honestly would not have it any other way."

I nod, "Thank you for the food, I can make this last a while." My stomach protested from the memories of days going hungry from not making enough rupees to support myself. Feeling Ghirahim's arms tighten around me I sighed, "What? Would you rather have me following Kikiwis around for berries?" The arms relaxed, and I took the opportunity to break free of them to walk over to Kaxalin. Dropping my voice low I whispered, "I'll keep him distracted as long as possible; make sure you tell Link as well." Again, another thought caught me, "And could you ask him to take care of my Loftwing?" Quickly stepping back, I bowed slightly with my hand on my hilt, just as I had been taught by my mentor years ago. "Thank you, Kaxalin, I understand that I may never see you again." It saddens me, the thought, since in this short time I've grown to like Kaxalin. She, with the proper training and time, could be one of the strongest of us all. Call it a teacher's instinct. I smiled, "But I hope that we do."

Kaxalin stepped forward, saying loudly with a wink, "If you're with Ghirahim you'll see me again." Lowering her voice she continued, "I trust you, Fallon, so I'll tell you my secret. There are four maidens, Spirit, Water, Fire and Forest. Your friend Zelda is the Spirit Maiden, which means she is the Goddess Hylia reborn. She is a goddess in mortal form. The other three maidens are my best friend, Kathryn, a girl from Skyloft named Lenara and myself. Unlike Zelda we are of a different race. The three of us are demi-goddesses. Our mothers are the Three Great Goddesses of Old, who created the Triforce. I am the daughter of Farore, Goddess of Courage. These woods are my domain and I must reclaim them. I will have to fight Ghirahim, but make no mistake. Zelda's soul isn't the only one Ghirahim could use to bring back his master, The Demon King, Demise. You must keep him in the dark about the other three maidens until we are fully ready to take him on. I trust you, Fallon. Good luck." Then she was leaning against a tree, smirking as she tried to provoke Ghirahim, "I'm glad you aren't trying to do what you're doing to Fallon to me or you'd have Furrie on your case."

The information that Kaxalin just gave me ran through my head and I blinked. Keeping my face blank, I came to the conclusion that the longer she would interact with Ghirahim, the more of a chance there would be of him finding out whom she was. I doubt I would be able to fight off Ghirahim while protecting Kaxalin, and at this point I still wasn't sure of Kaxalin's skill level. Not only that, but Ghirahim was more dangerous than I had originally thought. With that in mind I nodded, "Thank you."

In the background, I heard Ghirahim respond, "Pfft… I've hardly done anything… yet." 

My eyes latched onto his smirk and I gave him the look that I would give Groose when he wasn't going to get away with anything, "Never going to happen."

The chuckle I received in return was dark, "Remember what I told you about never!"

"Still not going to happen."

I heard Kaxalin chuckle in the background and turned back to her, face curious as to why she found this amusing. "And what exactly would I have to do to get your attention like that? Beat you up? Ha! I already ruined your plans once don't think I won't do it again! Maybe next time I'll be strong enough to take you on. I look forward to being able to wipe that smirk off your face." She stood up, and as she walked away she started to whistle. 

Ghirahim snorted, "I look forward to when that day, not that it ever will."

Ignoring him again I called after her, "Thanks again! I'll stall Lord Fuss-a-Lot here for a while!" I heard Ghirahim make an indignant sound in the background once again.

Turning around one last time, Kaxalin shouted, "Thanks! Because if he knew what I knew we'd all be screwed!" Then, she saluted us and began to run, off to find whoever she needed to.


	7. A Test of Strength

As soon as Leslie turned the corner I felt Ghirahim's lips trail over my neck. With a sigh I asked him, "Must you do that?"  
  
Ghirahim smiled against my neck, hands wrapping around my waist, "It's in my nature. When I see a woman so fine as yourself I can't help myself but touch her."  
  
Damn this demon! I felt a rise of blood in my cheeks, "Could you please stop though?"  
  
"Why? According to you, you're trying to keep me from capturing the Spirit Maiden. This is keeping me preoccupied." I felt his fingers ghost over my stomach, sending butterflies to rush through me.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I didn't mean in this way." Don't look at his hands, don't look at his face, don't pay attention to what he was doing. Ignore him Fallon!  
  
"Oh, but I do, Fallon dear" His tongue flicked over my vein, and that was it.  
  
I pulled myself away from Ghirahim's arms, attempting to placate my heart into its normal rate. When was the last time it had done so? I bit my lip, hoping that the blush would die down before he noticed. "Let's get going."  
  
"Now where would we be going, dear?" His voice held a large amount of mockery, and I knew that if I look his face would hold the same emotion.  
  
"Anywhere." I took a hold of his wrist dragging him behind me until Ghirahim decided to walk besides me.  
  
Ghirahim looked at me quizzically, and I glared at him, "What is it?"  
  
"You know you can't hold me off forever, correct?" His voice lilted, the burning curiosity just underneath the faint calm. "And there is no possible way you can keep me from the Spirit Maiden. I am ten times your strength."  
  
"I somehow doubt that," it came out of my mouth before I could stop it.  
  
Ghirahim pulled me to a stop, "Excuse me?" His eyes were narrowed, nostrils flared in anger, "You believe yourself to be stronger than me?"  
  
I regretted I had ever said anything, but I kept my eyes linked to his. "I believe I can hold my own against you."  
  
In a flash I was on the ground, pinned beneath the pale demon. "If you think so… then try getting me off of you," there was a cruel grin on his face as he held my arms above my head, his knees pressing down on my thighs.  
  
My eyes widened and I struggled to keep a blush down. Nevertheless, I tried to throw the demon lord off of me. He barely budged, a smile growing with each attempt. I wasn't about to give up however, and thought of a different tactic. I paused in my antics for a moment.  
  
Noticing that I had stopped resisting, Ghirahim smirked, "Have you finally given up?"  
  
I allowed a smile to fall on my face as I replied, "Not yet." Before he could say anything else, I brought my head off the ground. Straining my shoulders, I pushed my own lips against his, causing the demon to freeze all movements.  
  
The demon was still on guard, so I decided to push it a little farther. My lips moved against his still ones, until they got a reaction out of them. Something in him changed, and his grip weakened on my wrists. He pushed my head to the ground, grinding our teeth together in the process. Hands found the bottom of my chain mail and started working up, a disappointed sound coming from him when he realized I had another shirt on underneath. My eyes widened, but I still could do nothing as his knees were on my legs. That was until they slipped off so that Ghirahim was sitting on my lap. He was almost hungry in the way he was treating him, and I wanted it to stop. There was no way he was going to pull away, and I didn't want to push him off this way.  
  
With a slight grunt of effort, I pushed so I was on top and then pulled away. I smiled breathlessly, "You're off."  
  
Ghirahim blinked for a moment, stunned, before he laughed.  
  


* * *

  
I looked at the woman on top of me, lips bruised from the abuse I had given them but a defiant glint in her eyes. "You're off." I barely heard the words but I blinked. I stared at the state she was in for another moment before laughter bubbles out of me.  
  
Her eyebrows rose and she looked confused, "What is so funny about that?"  
  
The laughter inside me died down and I smirked, "I may be off of you, but it's hardly far from over." My hands attached themselves to her hips (they tend to do things like that often, sneaky things) and I sat up. Fallon made a brief noise before I cut her off, pressing my lips against her warm ones. I felt her try to push me away, but it merely made me want to get closer. I grabbed the back of her head roughly, forcing our lips even closer. My tongue slipped out, asking politely for once for permission. When it was denied, I bit down on her lip, causing her to gasp and for me to sneak right in. Fallon went still and I frowned slightly. It was only so much fun if I only enjoyed it. Running my own tongue against hers gained no reaction, no matter how much I played with it.  
  
With a sigh, my free hand attached to her back, drawing her closer so that our chests touched. That got a reaction out of her. She gasped again, and tried again to push away. Fallon was the one who wanted to play this game in the first place, and so I would play as well. I slowed down the intensity of the kisses, trying desperately to get her to feel this attraction as well. I felt the blush bloom on her cheeks and I pulled away for a moment to look at her again.   
  
Fallon's hair was in greater disarray, falling over her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes were shut tight and there was water gathering at the corners of them, clinging onto her long eyelashes. Her lips were even more bruised now.   
  
Somewhere deep and hidden inside me, I felt a little guilty. But not enough to stop. My lips skimmed over her face, kissing away the gathering tears. "Why are you crying, my dear?"  
  
Fallon's lips were sealed tight. I'm afraid I may have just frightened her off. But that was a good thing, wasn't it?  
  
"I can only make it better if you tell me." I pulled away, my hands cupping her face.  
  
Her eyes snapped open, and within them was enough fire and brimstone to burn down a castle. I should have expected it by now.  
  
 _SLAP!_


	8. Those Who Fall From the Sky

That pervert! Bastard! Idiot! Sex-Crazed Demon!  
  
How  _dare_  he kiss me like that!? Never mind the fact that I started it, but he didn't have to get that out of control! I still felt his tongue in my mouth, trying to taste more of me. I gagged slightly; face still burning with not only rage, but embarrassment.   
  
My eyes stayed close to the ground, refusing to look at the smirking demon beside me. One little glimpse of betrayal gave me a wave of satisfaction to still see the red imprint of my hand on his cheek. Now as long as the idiot got the idea I shouldn't have to worry about anymore perverted attacks. From the smirk on Ghirahim's face, I knew it was the opposite.  
  
Pervert.  
  
I sighed and shook my head. Falling a thousand feet really does change things. Back in Skyloft, I was respected and never taken advantage of. Here, I had to watch everything that I did so that this pervert doesn't chance upon an opening.  
  
Not paying attention to where I was going, I continued deep in thought. Later on, I realized I probably should have been more attentive.  
  
Just as I was wondering whether I should I have went with Leslie, I heard something that should have been frightening, but was actually rather amusing.  
  
The sound of someone yelling "CRAAAAAAP!" was accompanied by the breaking of branches and Ghirahim going "Unf!"  
  
I whirled around with my sword halfway out of its sheath- then stopped. Ghirahim was laying face-down in grass, desperately trying to spit it out of his mouth. On top of him however, was a girl. She straightened herself, "I really need to learn how to fly..." The woman had brown hair that was cut much like Leslie's.  
  
"Leslie?!" It jumped out of my mouth before I could even realize that I did. What was going on here!? I could have sworn she went in the opposite direction, but here she was... Wait, I didn't see that sword spirit Furrie of hers.  
  
She turned around, looking at me in confusion, "Yes? That's my name, how do you know it?" Then she said something that startled me even more "Is your name Fallon?"  
  
I stood there like an idiot, fumbling for a response, "But how?"  
  
Leslie-look-alike replied evenly, "You know the character whose human name matches mine, her real name is Linka. I'm from another world. My name is Leslie Tait. I'm an artist that just happens to be a fledgling Great Fairy." She stood, wings flapping on her back slightly as blood rushed from her face. Fairy Leslie stumbled slightly- causing my body to jerk in case she was going to fall- and she leaned against a tree. Her clothes were in ruins, probably from the fall.  
  
I allowed my muscles to relax and I blinked a little, "Well... that's surprising?" Concern crept into my voice, "Are you feeling well?" Even if it wasn't the Leslie from earlier, I couldn't help but be concerned for someone that reminded me of my only friend down here.  
  
"I'm just a little sick. A bit of a fall you know; I'm not used to these wings yet." Her face looked a little sheepish and she glanced down at her messy clothes. I glanced at Leslie's wings, seeing them tremble slightly. She must be more than a little sick to look like that.  
  
I blinked, and my hands automatically turned to my bag and I began to dig through for my last bit of health potion. Frowning as I saw there was only half a bottle left, I held it out to her, "It's not much but..."  
  
"Thanks but I don't need it," Leslie smiled while holding up a bottle of weird-looking liquid. She quickly drank it and blood returned to her face as she fixed her clothes to look better. With a look to Ghirahim she snorted, "Serves him right, but it was an accident."  
  
Placing the potion away for later, I turned to Ghirahim and crossed my arms. Fairy Leslie could wait for later. My head was starting to hurt slightly, probably from the fall and everything that had been happening. I felt a scowl appear on my face, "Now what am I going to do with you? You already slowed me down enough before."  
  
Ghirahim shook his head and scowled back at me, before looking at Leslie, "Who do you think you are, dropping out of the sk--Oh." The scowl resurfaced as he recognized her face.  
  
Shaking her own head, Leslie replied in annoyance, "Oh boy, do I have to re-explain myself to you too? Just gets better and better."  
  
"You!" Ghirahim exclaimed, jumping off the ground gracefully, his spine almost like rubber in a way. What did he mean be 'you?' Did he think that she was the Leslie we had met earlier?  
  
"What? Just because I look like another girl who happens to have the same first name as me doesn't mean I'm her." Boy was that a mouthful. Leslies rolled her eyes however, signaling that she was getting bored off this.  
  
"Then... which was the one... huh?" Ghirahim's brow furrowed, as if deep in thought as he stared at Leslie.   
  
"My name is Leslie Tait and I happen to be from another world and I am a fledgling Great Fairy." Leslie rolled her eyes again, right on cue. What exactly was a Great Fairy? I'd have to save the question for Ghirahim later...  
  
Ghirahim's eyes narrowed, "Yes I got that you imbecile! However that still does not explain if you are the mirror girl."  
  
Mirror girl? What did he mean by that? I looked at Leslie, and immediately saw her reaction to it. In between one moment and the next she was pale, anger hidden far behind the fear in her eyes. Oh... this could not be good.  
  
"Mirror girl?" She gulped audibly, "What do you mean by that?" Was it just me, or did the forest suddenly grow cold?  
  
Ghirahim took a step forward Leslie, and I nearly flinched forward. "Perhaps it's just me, but I was sure there was once I girl I kept... her name was Leslie Tait." And suddenly, the atmosphere gained weight like it had eaten five hundred kilos of pumpkin soup.  
  
Wait. What? Disgust rolled into me and I directed it at him. "What the hell?" This demon, he wasn't joking when he wanted me as his slave at first!? And obviously he's had slaves before. But what frightened me was Leslie's face as it drained of even more blood.  
  
"D-Did she have a m-middle name?" She asked, voice shaking in fear. Oh Goddess, that was not a good sign. I sent her a quick look of distress, but her eyes were focused on the cruel smirk Ghirahim adorned upon himself.  
  
Ghirahim paused long enough to tap his chin in thought, "If memory serves me, it was Velein."  
  
There was no more blood in Leslie's face, any of it gone somewhere else. "That's m-me... I am mirror girl." Oh, why did she have to say yes?  
I had to do something, something to get Ghirahim's attention off of her. "Ghirahim, what is she talking about?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Leslie take a step back and I   
stiffened.  
  
Ghirahim took another step forward, his eyes still on Leslie. After a tense moment he shook his head, "Oh... she was just a... friend... of mine before." He straightened, the surroundings losing its weight. "Never mind however, let's continue on our way to the Spirit Maiden hm?"   
  
Leslie let out a great sigh, "Okay... you had scared me there for a second." I saw her slump into a tree, the fear beginning to leave her.   
  
Ghirahim waved airily, "Oh, I'll be sure to find you again." Ghirahim disappeared from sight for a moment, whispering in Leslie's ear.   
  
Red anger clouded Leslie's face as she backhanded Ghirahim. "Look pal, I'm nobody's slave!" Her voice echoed loudly through the clearing, silence quickly replacing it.  
  
What was that? I stomped over to Ghirahim, taking his ear in between my forefinger and thumb, "What did she just say?" Oh, I was starting to get annoyed with this demon. The pounding behind my eyes increased, biting my already limited patience to the size of a pea.  
  
I felt Ghirahim's glare before I saw it, "Just before you're stubborn doesn't mean I haven't had other slaves!"  
  
"You don't enslave random people!" I let it slip past, anger mounting with every word out of his mouth. "Especially women!" I saw him flinch, the anger slipping for a moment to let in satisfaction.  
  
Out of the corner of my eye, Leslie folded her arms, "Fallon's right."  
  
"Like I care?" Ghirahim rolled his eyes, his arrogance practically shining.  
  
And then suddenly Ghirahim was in the air, hanging upside down by the vines around his ankles. I stared at his shocked expression, feeling the similar emotion on my own face. Just what had happened? I looked at Leslie, answering my own question when I saw the smug look on her face. She had done that? I suddenly realized just how in over my head I was. Here I was, a mere human, among those who can control the very plants and summon forth swords out of nowhere? I felt insolent, small, and vastly unimportant. I felt like I was among Gods, or giants. Perhaps it would just be in my best interest to find Zelda and return to Skyloft, and forget this ever happened.  
  
Ghirahim sighed after a moment, "Oh, another one of you annoying fairies." He disappeared again and I jumped a little when he landed in front of me. "Well that was amusing."  
  
"Whatever, Ghirahim. Just leave me alone." Leslie sighed and turned away, wings drooping slightly.   
  
Ghirahim sank into the mockery of a bow, "With pleasure. You had interrupted Fallon and I, so be on your way if you would mirror girl." Without even looking I knew he was smirking, the song of the devil he was.  
  
I saw Leslie tense slightly, turn, and kick Ghirahim straight in the face with her heeled boot. "There, see you round... Men, humph!" And with that, she turned back on her heel.  
  
Ghirahim rubbed his nose for a moment before turning to me with another wicked smile, "Now... where were we?" I made a disgusted noise in the back of my throat, arching an eyebrow at him. As if he was getting anywhere with me, after everything that has happened in the past couple of days!  
  
"I'm still here!" Leslie shouted, and she was in fact still within sight. "Honestly! Ghirahim, I hope we don't meet again. I won't end up with you in the same area again! By the way," I saw her lift something, "catch!" And suddenly there was something whirling through the air, just to hit Ghirahim in the mouth. When it flopped to the ground I looked at the foreign episode closely. It resembled some sort of footwear, though I've never seen that fashion of shoes. Leslie walked back and picked up whatever she had hurled at   
Ghirahim and turned to leave. "Fallon if you need me to beat him up feel free, my month or so stay in Feudal Japan made me a pretty good Demon Slayer."  
  
Ghirahim growled from the ground where he had been knocked onto, "You insolent brat!"  
  
I ignored him, smiling at Leslie. If only she could pass on a bit of that knowledge to me, but the pervert was watching. "I think I'll manage, thank you though."  
  
"No problem, and if ask me, I think I preferred a petulant half demon to him for one very good reason. At least InuYasha was a good guy." Leslie answered.  
  
Blinking, Ghirahim and I both asked the question that immediately popped into our minds, "Who?"  
  
"Never mind, InuYasha was a Half Dog demon I hung out with for a few days. I prefer his half-brother Sesshomaru. He's a full dog demon who's not as annoying as Inu or Ghirahim. But, that's a different world from here." I gave her a blank look and she slapped her forehead. "Never mind, see you around Fallon. I hope I don't meet you again, Ghirahim." Her smile was laced with sarcasm as she walked past Ghirahim.  
  
"We'll see about that." Ghirahim replied with a malicious chuckle.  
  
I blinked, the world moving fast. My head was still throbbing, like little beings were shoving pins into my brain. "Bye..?"  
  
Leslie turned back around, an apologetic smile on her face, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel awkward Fallon. I'll see you later. I hope I can figure out these crazy powers of mine. Being the next Great Fairy of Courage is a lot of weight to take on." She completely ignored Ghirahim, who seemed to have noticed this fact as he began to mumble under his breath.   
  
Smiling a little I replied, "Good luck then, I guess?"  
  
Leslie gave me a look, but then smiled, "Thanks, same to you."  
  
I laughed a little, "See you later then, Fairy Leslie."  
  
"Okay! I hope we meet under better circumstances." Leslie smiled even larger. After a moment a grin overcame the smile, "Do you hear something?"  
  
The dots connected and I grinned back, tilting my head, "Why I don't believe I do." We let our faces fall into our best poker faces, ignoring the rambling of Ghirahim next to us.  
  
"Maybe it was just an annoying gadfly buzzing in my ear," she laughed, the straight face not holding out for long at all.  
  
"Perhaps," I smiled, feeling the headache retreat for a moment.  
  
All of a sudden Ghirahim stopped talking, "Why are you laughing? I thought you were gone already." He seemed annoyed, but I didn't even glance in his direction.  
  
"You still hear anything?" Leslie asked, laughing louder.   
  
How long has it been since I was able to joke around and have fun? Was it really only last week? It seemed like a lifetime ago. "No, I don't believe I do!"  
  
I felt Ghirahim grab his shoulder and command, "What are you two imbeciles talking about? I don't hear anything except for you two!"  
  
"So Fallon, have you seen any good loftwing races?" Leslie asked with a smile.  
  
A small arrow launched itself into my chest as I thought of home and Leila, but kept a smile on my face and for a chuckle to pass through my lips, "Now that you mention it, I did see a close call the other day!" It wasn't a total lie; I almost didn't reach Zelda in time to save her.  
  
Ghirahim shook my shoulder, "Now you're talking about races?! What is with you women?" Insert ignoring him here.  
  
"Me too, but the guy I bet on won, so I got a lot of rupees for it. So, how's Groose the muscle head doing?" Leslie chuckled.  
  
Well, here's something I don't have to lie about. "Oh, he's ignoring lessons like usual. Next time I see him he should be expecting a harsh scolding from me."  
  
Ghirahim threw his hands up in the air, "Women!" Oh, did he finally realize that? Good for him.  
  
"I see well that is the way of things with boys like him," Leslie shrugged while smiling nonetheless.  
  
"I know," I let out a sigh, "I've been trying to get through his thick pompadour ever since he attended the academy."   
  
Ghirahim flinched for whatever reason, "What? Who in the worlds would have a disgusting hairstyle like that?"  
  
"Pompadours belong in the Modern Realm's America during the 1950's on Elvis Presley. Groose just can't pull of the look. He's an idiot, but I've seen worse." Leslie shook her head, as if saying 'There's not much else to say about that.'  
  
Ghirahim growled, "They're hideous!"  
  
"Try a Mohawk...ugh not my thing at all!" She replied, "The Eighties' hair styles where pretty bad too." Leslie shook her head. "Be happy people are relatively sane here." Was she speaking to me or Ghirahim?  
  
I blinked, then nodded, "I think I am..." Even if people falling from the sky seems to be a normal occurrence lately. Wait... where did Ghirahim go? I looked around to see him facing a tree, looking thoroughly disgusted. Well, at least he knew how I felt when he decided to hit on me.  
  
Leslie seemed to have seen his expression as well, for she burst out laughing. I smiled at her reaction, glad she wasn't afraid anymore. "Ah, I love it when payback is this funny!"  
  
Ghirahim turned slightly, giving Leslie an eye the devil would be proud of, "Oh you will pay dearly for that." The sky seemed to stop moving for a moment, the weight of his words giving pause to everything.  
  
"How? You never really carry out a threat! You're either too lazy or too wimpy to fully carry it out." Leslie smirked. And there was the proof that this really wasn't the Leslie from earlier; she wasn't afraid to taunt Ghirahim.  
  
Her words seemed to have no effect on Ghirahim though, as he began to stalk forward with a slight growl, "It's not a threat. It's a promise." My hairs began to rise and I felt my muscles become tense as I spotted the dagger in his hand.  
  
Without really knowing what I was doing I stepped forward and in the path of his blade,   
"That is enough. It was a joke Ghirahim." This was going to get out of hand if one of them didn't stop.  
  
"Please, spare me," Leslie replied, sarcasm dripping off every word. Oh boy.  
  
Ghirahim pointed past me and to Leslie, "Do you not remember me giving you those scars? Did I make a pointless threat then?" I felt my joints lock in place and my muscles freeze.  
The pig, the disgusting bastard! I tried not to flinch, the headache rushing in with the anger I felt towards Ghirahim. The un-chivalrous demon was going to learn something from me, even if he was an all-powerful sword or whatever he was!  
  
"Yes... and definitely no," Leslie's voice was small and I heard the rustle of cloth.  
  
I swallowed, trying to make my voice as calm as possible, "What did you do to her?" I held my eyes level with Ghirahim, daring him to lie to me.  
  
A smirk fell over Ghirahim's features and he shrugged lightly, "Why don't you ask her?"  
  
"I'm lucky the others you made didn't scar." Leslie replied with another rustle of cloth. What was she talking about? I didn't dare take my eyes off Ghirahim... But I had to look.  
  
I glanced over my shoulder at Leslie, my eyes tracing down to her collarbone where three diamonds were imprinted into her skin, darker than the rest of her skin. It settled in me, and I made sure the image was imprinted into my memory, "What...? Why did he..?"  
  
"She disobeyed me." Ghirahim replied from beyond my vision, and he sounded as if it was so ordinary to scar people for no reason. "Now do you fear me Fallon?"  
  
Another rush and I felt my fingers curl as my body turned. My fist wound up and down with the strength of my body, Ghirahim falling down from the impact of my fist to his face. "Fear you?! How laughable! You don't know the meaning of fear!" He did not know the fear of falling a thousand feet, of losing your parents, of supporting yourself. He did not know the fear that coated every sinew within me as I fell, as the air ripped at me, as I felt bones shatter and blood leave my body. He did not know mortal fear. With one movement I was over him, glowering down. This was no God- this was no giant that could kill me. This was simply an arrogant ass of a demon. "In fact, I'm disgusted with you." The headache grew to a crescendo, each a lance to the center of my being.  
  
"Thanks for that Fallon." Leslie's voice shook me out of my thoughts, causing me to look at her with a slight smile. She was trembling a little, Ghirahim's words obviously shaking her to the core.  
  
I turned back to Ghirahim with a snarl on my tongue, "If you ever do that kind of thing to anyone again... Expect me to do the same to you." There was a little thing called justice, and it struck a deep chord within me.  
  
"Fallon that isn't half of what this idiot has done to me... If you ask me he's done worse."   
  
I twitched, images hurtling themselves into my brain at a fast rate of what he could of done. None of them I liked. Disdain for Ghirahim coursed through me and I felt my hand inch towards my sword. I must protect Zelda, Link, and both Leslies from him. "There was a time where every crime committed against a person was committed against you." More thoughts flew through me and I couldn't grasp a hold of any of them. Where these words came from I had no clue, but my headache was giving way to something more vicious. "From what I can tell, I should just throw you off a cliff and be done with it." Ghirahim's eyes bore into me in anger, moving from side to side. Or was I?  
  
Suddenly I felt dizzy, the strength that anger had lent me disappearing as quickly as it had come. "That's what I would have done... so... long... ago..."  
  
My head hit the ground, and no more.


	9. Awaken

_White tresses fell over my shoulder as a shudder went through my body. It was cold, so cold.  
  
I followed the path of my arm- did my sword make it in time? Black blood spilled around the ornate hilt of the borrowed sword, flowing down scales and to the ground. A roar entered my ears and I felt another jerk in my stomach.  
  
"You incompetent human! You couldn't even hit my chest!"  Flames billowed into the sky.  
  
Something traveled up and I coughed, marking the ground under me a deep burgundy. I lifted my eyes from the twisted form of Ghirahim and to the red-cloaked hero. "Land the final blow, Link." My voice was humiliatingly weak as I clutched the blade lodged in me. "The magic in the blade will seal him."  
  
Then the sword was gone from my torso, the last gift Ghirahim has given me. I collapsed, and watched the battle continue with the radiant sword hindering Demise. I saw the final blow, and Hylia descend to seal Demise away. I saw the sword in Demise's hand fade away before the Goddess's light reached him. I felt someone caress my bloodied cheek as the world began to grow dark and the presence leave.  
  
"I am sorry," it wasn't his voice, but the voice of Hylia. She sounded weary, and there was an ocean of tears that could be heard in her voice.  
  
A cloud of bitter resentment pooled in my stomach, but like my blood it simply left me. The pain was unbearable, it had always been. I wanted to sleep, I was so tired. My eyes fluttered open and I tried to smile, but I could not see. "Tell my little ones... that mommy loves them."  
  
"I will Kallen, I will make sure they live long and have many children. I will tell them of how wonderful their mother was, and how they wait for her when they pass on," Hylia whispered, her touch a healing salve on the wound. It hit me then, that Link was dead as well. Oh how cruel this life was.  
  
Something was pushed into my hand, a voice whispering faintly, _Mistress... We shall reunite again. _And then it was gone, and so was the ground, and the sky. Armor dissolved to nothing and I fell, but I did not fear. After all... all I could do was wait._  
  
  
  
  
Shouting. That was the first thing I realized when I came to. There were two people from the sounds of it, one definitely female, the other...  
  
It hit me like a bucket of cold water, hearing Ghirahim's voice. I stayed still, my mind trying to wrap around everything. I had died and then... Oh Goddess of Light and Mercy. I opened my eyes, black hair falling in them as I stared at the sky. All this time. All this time I had been back. But why can't I remember the afterlife? Why? I shook, emotions raw coming to the surface and all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. Cry for everything that I missed.   
  
Leslie's voice entered my hearing and I started, "Oh yeah! Eat dirt Ghirahim!" This was followed by a noise of pain from Ghirahim and the breaking of bark.  
  
Forcing myself up, I stared at the long forgotten face of Ghirahim as he wrenched himself out of the tree he had been kicked into. Blood ran down his face as he snarled, "That hurt mirror girl." And with that he summoned two of his many swords, beginning to charge at Leslie, who had no idea what was coming.  
  
I reacted to it before I even thought about it; the movement's all too familiar as I drew my sword. The world slowed down for a fraction of a second as I rushed in front of Leslie, my sword clanging against Ghirahim's. My feet dug slightly into the ground from the force, this body not used to the abuse Ghirahim could put it through. Then the world returned to normal, the shock on Ghirahim's face priceless in any other situation. Shoving his sword aside, I said in a voice that was as alien as familiar to me, "Enough Ghirahim!"  
  
"Wow... Thanks Fallon... I think?" Leslie sounded a bit stunned. Oh I was going to need a glass of something strong after this.  
  
Casting a look over my shoulder, I replied to her, "Hey may not look it now, but if this goes on much longer you could get seriously hurt." Then again, I wasn't sure of what she was fully capable of herself.  
  
"Get out of my way, Fallon," Ghirahim's growl caused me to look at him again. "This girl is mine!" He teleported, appearing behind Leslie a few moments later with his sword poised to strike.  
  
Moving fast I ran past him, hooking my foot around his ankle and tugging. With my accelerated weight Ghirahim fell to the ground and I placed the tip of my blade right above his eyes. The world slowed down again, and I growled back at Ghirahim. "I said... that's enough Ghirahim." I sent him a silent message, that if he moved he was going to lose something. The stubborn-head demon he was, he somehow got the hint and laid deathly still, glaring back into my eyes.  
  
"I know Fallon, but he has to pay for what he did to me when I was only SIXTEEN!" I heard Leslie sob and I twitched, biting my lip.  
  
I did not want to think of what the demon I used to love could have done to her. But I knew very well the lustful thing he was, and so I prepared my heart for the worst. Guilt ate at my stomach though. It was my job to make sure he had been sealed away. I had failed my job, my one duty as the Knight.  
  
I opened my mouth, eyes softening at the look on Leslie's face. "I know... I know better than anyone. But revenge is not the answer." A bitter thought stuck out at me, the anger I had felt thousands of years ago that had turned to a lemon of bitterness. "I am sorry I could not perform my duty back then. It is my fault that you have endured such pain. Let me make it up to you." Ghirahim looked positively confused as I stepped away, my sword hanging at my side as a reminder however. "By making him suffer what he hates most: not having control."   
  
Ghirahim snarled as he stood, "Shut the hell up and get out of my way!" He moved forward viciously as if to stab me with his sword.  
  
The blade soared past me as I turned, my hand arching back into a fist. I used the bit of power I still retained and forced my fist to speed forward with all the weight of a loftwing, ignoring the sharp pain as my knuckles connected to his chin. Ghirahim fell to the ground, unconscious and a good bruise on his jawline.  
  
I allowed myself to sigh as I stared at him, "He's changed so much since then..." Thoughts drifted for a second and I remembered Leslie. She must be even more confused than I am. I glanced up and fought for the right words, as cliché as they sounded. "Don't tell Ghirahim but... I'm actually someone he used to know when Demise was sealed. I was one of the ones to seal Demise away, but we weren't able to get him... Not Ghirahim." The battle played through my head again, and I wondered at how I was going to tell him... I smiled, feeling way too tired for my age. "I'm sorry for my incompetency." I winced inwardly at my word choice, I sounded like my grandmother for goodness sake! I reminded myself that I used to speak that way, and swatted away the thoughts.  
  
I think a mug of ale will do. A good strong ale from Pumpkin Landing. And sleep. Lots of sleep.  
  
Leslie nodded, bringing me out of myself, "I know your name was Kallen." That shocked me, how would she know my name? She smiled and shrugged, "It's okay that which does not kill you makes you stronger."  
  
A blink later and I smiled, "Hmm, well then." I'll save pondering over Leslie for a less important time. "Stay strong, it's the only way women like us get through the world!"  
  
"I will, thanks!" Leslie smiled back. Then she pointed towards Ghirahim, "You want to ditch the dodo?" She giggled a little- at least she was feeling good about the situation.  
  
Not quite sure what a dodo was, I laughed in response, not expecting it to be as sad as it sounded. "I can't. He's after the one whom I must protect. And unfortunately... he still has a little place in my heart, the bastard." I looked down at him, perhaps not quite as harshly as before.  
  
"I know. I just wish I didn't feel like I was ditching you with a pervert." Leslie shook her head. Oh, if she knew the extent!  
  
I let out a real laugh, "Oh he is, I know very well the kind of demon he is. But it was he who understood my rage and taught me to control it."  
  
Nodding again, Leslie replied, "Yeah... I know." But just how much did she know? That was the real question.  
  
My sword slithered into its sheath as I took a step towards Ghirahim, "Anyways... Perhaps if you leave, he'll think it was a dream." A very realistic dream, but a dream nonetheless. And I wouldn't have to explain myself to him, at least not now.  
  
"Doubt it." I looked up at Leslie and saw another scar on her cheek, also in the shape of a diamond. He knows me on sight. I haven't changed in appearance since I was sixteen. I blame it on the fact that I'm a fairy. My hair style may have changed, but my face is still the same. When I first knew him I had shoulder length hair. I'd wear it down all the time. My hair has both wave and curl to it. That was one thing he liked to do was play with my hair. Though I will see you again, I promise." And without another word, she left the clearing.  
  
I stared after her, pondering silently one important question: Who was Leslie Tait?


	10. Kallen Part I

Flames danced as I stared at the fire, trying silently to discern who I am and who I used to be. There was a definite fine line between the person known as Fallon, and the warrior known as Kallen. Perhaps it would be best to go through my life as Kallen, in order to sort through the pile of memories.  
My eyes drifted closed as I pieced together my life as Kallen. I didn’t want to lose that part of me, but I didn’t want Fallon and Kallen to mix. Where should I begin?  
  


* * *

  
My life began in a small, poverty stricken town in the Eldin Provence. My parents were mercenaries, swords for anyone who had enough coin to pay for their services, as was most of the town. I don’t remember my father as much as I remember my mother, as he was away on hire for the higher classes often. They were the ones to teach me how to defend myself and hold a sword, how to shoot a bow with enough strength to pierce armor, and how to use my surroundings to my advantage. But they were also the ones to teach me that not all is pure in the world.  
  
At the time of my parent’s death, there had been a large plague to sweep through all of Hyrule. Some said it was a sickness caused by the war between the Goddess and the Demon God Demise. I was eleven, barely more than a babe when I found myself alone in the world. The only ones left of my home village was I, the priestess, and one gristly mercenary named Hamond.  Both took me in and I continued my studies to become a mercenary, whilst praying to the Goddess Hylia.  
  
It was my thirteenth birthday when demons decided to attack the remnants of our town. The priestess Ullia locked me in the safety room, located under the statue of Hylia in the temple. There I hid for three days with small provisions, a sword, and a blanket. There was when I first heard the voice of Hylia. She spoke to me in a calming voice, telling me that I would survive. It was because of her that I did not hear the screams of Hamond, or the wailing of Ullia as she was tainted by the demons.  I laid in silence and cobwebs, listening to the voice of the Goddess as she gave me specific instructions.  
  
After the three days were over, I emerged from the safety room in a strange calm. The blood splashed on the wall and the entrails did not disturb me as it should have, but I collected enough provisions for a week on the road and left the charred remains of the town I used to call home. With the help of Hylia I traveled to another town, much larger than my old home with little to no encounters with monsters.   
  
In the Castle Town was where I spent the next seven years of my life. I was taken in by the local blacksmith on the grounds that once I turned sixteen I would marry his son.    
Accepting the proposal was a small task, I did not care if I found love at the time as I saw where it could lead someone.  All that mattered was that Hylia was there. I worked at the local Temple, becoming a Priestess and getting to know the blacksmith’s son Aden.   
  
Three years past and suddenly I was married to Aden, and I found myself to be quite content as his wife and the Priestess of Hylia. I never forgot the martial arts however, and often gave tips to anyone who bought a sword from my husband. I kept the sword from my home wrapped and under Aden’s and I’s bed, forgotten but there. Days blurred by in serenity, until it was interrupted with the cry of a babe in my arms. My firstborn, Harn, had my purple eyes and the black hair of his father. As a family I was even happier, my past slowly dissolving into dust.  
  
It was when my daughter Ullia was two that things slowly started to crumble. I was twenty and still with enough youthful energy that came with innocence. Aden’s father had passed the year before, his mother living with us now. She and I were talking in the main room of our house, Ullia playing with her grandmother.   
  
We had decided to move to the outskirts of town, giving us more space for Aden’s blacksmithing and the children. It also meant we were the first to discover visitors.  
  
A yell pierced through the air, sending hairs to stand and shoulders to lock. I sprung to my feet, sewing falling to the ground as I ran out back. Catching myself on the doorframe, I managed to catch a look of terror from my husband’s face as a hand slid out of him. He collapsed to his knees, his eyes caught on mine as he mouthed, “Run.”  
  
The demons turned to me then, blood scouring their steel as a wicked grin haunted their features. Their smiles only meant one thing for me, and it turned my blood to lead.  
  
The door slammed shut in my arms and I hurled the bar down. Gathering my skirts I ran to Grandmama and my children, “Quickly Mama, take the children and run!” I scooped up Harn and handed him to her, the two younglings sensing the pain of their father and starting to scream. Upon her questioning look I replied as evenly as I could, “Demons.” With that she was running, my poor babes clasped to her.  
  
I scurried to the bedroom and reached under, batting aside cobwebs until my hand caught onto the leather casing of my sword. Yanking it out, I unsheathed the steel and hastily cut my skirts. At least the blade had retained some of its edge.  
  
The bedroom door burst open and the two demons strolled in, their lupine teeth shining in lust. Their bodies glowed, every muscle lithe and trained to kill at the smallest movement. Our eyes met, the mettle of my blade shining in the black voids of their eyes. They whispered harshly in demon, the fiery tongue a rasp compared to the language of my kind, resulting in a horrendous cackle from their maws.  
  
Serenity poured into me, its source the knowledge that I must protect my children. The sword in my hand suddenly stopped shaking, purple eyes reflecting what the blade in my hand felt. Then a flash of gold, and the calm waters were drenched in scarlet. My brow crinkled, rage slowly diluting the serenity as my hand trembled.  
  
“Demons…” My voice caused the demons to pause in their advancing, tilting their heads in contemplation as I raised my head. “Misery…” I lifted the sword, point leveling with them dangerously. “Such things would not be missed in this world.” The voice of Hylia was silent, the low hum of a man replacing her soothing balm.  
  
Lips pulled back to reveal teeth and a fierce growl. Bodies pulsed forward and claws danced around me, managing to cut my shoulder. The demons circled around me, swiping at me in turns as I tried to block them and deal my own strikes. They were too fast for me though, my skin slowly becoming full of tick marks for every time I missed a block. Strands of white hair began to fall to the ground, until I felt a claw grab a solid hold on my hair and yank me to him.  
  
I landed on its chest, the smell of decay overwhelming me as it breathed in my face.  Then there was a claw on my wrist, twisting it until a scream blossomed and I dropped my blade with a clang. Suddenly all rage was gone, only left with terror as I felt myself being pushed to the floor.  
  
“Pathetic mortal.” The voice was surprisingly deep that came from the snout of the demon, “Thinking that she could overwhelm us with her pig sticker.” A laugh bubbled from his throat and he fell on top of me. “Hold her down,” He growled to his partner, a claw latching onto my upper thigh.  
  
My scrambling hands were suddenly yanked above me, causing a strike of fear to lance through me. Lungs filled and I yelled as loud as I could, hoping somehow that someone in town could hear me. I was abruptly slapped, threatened with my tongue being cut off if I screamed again. I bit my lip, forcing down tears as I felt the claw crawl up, pushing my skirts farther up. The claws on my wrists were bruising, enough so that I tried to focus on that and not the demon on top of me.  
  
I didn’t want to go like this. I didn’t want to go the way that Ullia the Priestess went. I want to see my children again. I sent the prayer to Hylia, wishing that her voice was there to comfort me like she has before.  
  
I felt the demon push up even further, and then he was slumped over me, something wet falling on my face. There was the strangled sound of the demon clutching my wrists and then it was gone as well. Before I even dared open my eyes I was yanked up by the neckline of my dress.  
  
My eyes shot open, coming face to face with brown orbs. My toes barely touched the ground and I clutched at the hand holding me. White hair draped over his pale features, a sort of graceful danger lining his cold eyes as he stared at me in curiosity.  
  
“What do we have here..?” A smile spread across his mouth, warning me that this demon did not wish me well. “A damsel in distress?”  
  
The low hum was back, and I managed to pull myself out of his hand, ripping my dress in the process. I hurried, picking up the sword at my feet and ignoring the pooling blood at my feet. “Why did you save me?”  
  
The demon blinked lazily at me, not regarding the blade pointed to his chest at all, “Save you, an insignificant human? Hell is more likely to be filled with daisies and petunias.” He moved, and I was pressed to the wall, chin locked in a steel grip as my eyes met his once again. “What a rich shade of purple…” He murmured, his fingers curling into my jaw. “What’d I give to take you.”  
  
My lungs froze, fire entering my cheeks as I pushed him roughly back. “Stay away!” The loss of contact was startling, and I had to brace myself against the wall to keep from pitching forward. It was too much, all too much. Aden was outside, probably already dead but still my husband. However, I still couldn’t help the warmth that settled in at his words, no matter how much I detested it.  
  
With a pause and a tilt of his head, the demon studied me with a light of curiosity, “Why… you do not know who I am.” A grin settled onto his face as he shifted towards me, “How odd for a paladin of Hylia to not know.”  
  
Sucking in air quickly, my eyes burrowed into him, “How..?”  
  
“Ah, ah, ah,” The demon shook his head, “I won’t tell you that, Kallen Lumiar.” He laughed at my expression, “Oh, if only you humans understood.” The demon leaned forward, into my personal space and whispered. “I’ll just take this small token for now… but I will be back for more.” He spared me a wink and pressed forward, lips connecting briefly.  
  
My hand connected to his cheek shortly after, his head snapping to the left. “Pig!” I quickly swiped at my mouth, smacking him farther away. “You dare kiss me, while my husband lay outside?” Insufferable demon!  
  
The demon gave me a surprised look, before laughter erupted from him. “Oh all the rumors about you are true, dear Paladin of the Goddess.” His eyes shone with mirth, “I am a demon, I don’t give a damn if your husband was even in the room. He is dead, in any case, which makes you free territory.” A vicious smile permeated his face, “And I plan to make full use of that. But alas, I have other business to attend to.” He turned from me so I could not see his face, “But remember the name Ghirahim… as I will be coming back for you, dear.” The demon Ghirahim laughed one last time and then was gone, disappearing in a cloud of diamonds.

 

* * *

  
  
I jumped out of my skin as I felt someone’s arms around me and a silky voice whisper, “Such a cozy fire, Fallon.” I remained silent, so he continued, “Where did that girl go?”  
  
Lifting my shoulders, I replied “As far as I know, she could be anywhere by now.”  
  
“Are you quite certain?” His grip on me tightened, “Are you sure you aren’t just covering up for her?”   
  
“I am quite certain, thank you very much.” Was my curt reply. The mention of Leslie brought my blood to a boil, realizing that he has been less than true to his feelings for me, or part of me that is. “And are you certain you want to be touching me? Don’t you have slaves to do that to?”  
  
His mood immediately soured and he pulled away, “That was uncalled for.”  
  
Unfortunately, Ghirahim was right. I sighed, “Forgive me; I could not restrain my tongue.”  
  
“Restrain?” Ghirahim chuckled, causing me to look at him. “Fallon, are you perhaps jealous of the fact that I’ve been with other women?”  
  
I stared at him, part of me wanting to say “Of course I am!” and the other shouting “I barely know you!” But… both were wrong in a way, and at the same time right. So, I opted for a sigh and reluctantly muttered, “Perhaps I am. But you aren’t going to use it against me, so don’t even try it.”  
  
“Wouldn’t even dream of it.” Ghirahim smirked and moved back to me, wrapping an arm around me. “So… does that mean you won’t punch me again?”  
  
Chuckling wearily, I felt myself lean into him, “We’ll see how you behave.” It was weird, how he was acting, but I put the thoughts to rest for a more important time. I was tired, my brain suddenly burdened by two lives.  
  
Feeling his lips trail over my neck again I sighed, but he spoke before I could say anything. “Fallon dear… you never really told me your full name.”  
  
Closing my eyes, I simply replied, “I am Fallon Lumiar.” I kept myself from chuckling. I was my own great-great grandmother, not many could say that.  
  
“Lumiar?” Ghirahim sounded shocked and he shook me slightly, “Did I hear you correctly?”  
  
“Yes you did.” Goddess was I sleepy, and I felt myself falling farther into sleep.  
  
Ghirahim was silent, although I swore I heard him whisper as I fell asleep, “Kallen… will you never leave me alone?”


	11. Deals to be Made

Eyes traced haphazardly over the lean muscle, watching as the arm moved up and down with each of my breaths. It was weird to wake up to the sight of Ghirahim, at least without the fear of somehow being harmed or assaulted.  It was weird to know that I used to be this demon’s lover, that my own ancestor was his lover at the same time. It was weird that I enjoyed the quiet puffs of air that landed on my neck as he breathed.  
  
However, regardless of that part of me who wanted to simply lie there, I had to go. There was no way I could protect the Goddess while catering to my wants. I had a duty to my Goddess, and to my students. Link had to have landed by now, and what was I doing? Sleeping with their enemy?   
  
As quietly as I could, I slipped out of Ghirahim’s arms. He mumbled something, almost sounding like my name or one of them at least. Looking over to the fire, I saw that only embers remained and I kicked dirt to make sure nothing would catch fire. It was almost automatic the way I pulled on my chain mail and tunic, belting my sword to my hips and the packs, the shield resting heavily on my back. My teeth tugged at my lip as I stared at the sleeping Ghirahim, wondering if what I was doing was right. Even if he was the enemy, wasn’t it against some sort of unspoken code to not walk out without a word?  
  
My eyes flitted to the ground as I searched for the courage to turn away. I felt the nails dig into my palm and I took a breath, looking in the direction of the temple I knew Hylia- and Zelda- were in. All I had to do was walk in that direction. It was so easy, and so hard to walk away now that I knew Ghirahim as he truly was to me. It had been so easy to walk away from others, from Horwell.   
  
“Fallon?”  
  
My back tensed, and I dared not look at Ghirahim. The part of me that loved Ghirahim knew he would pretend to be emotionless, but then would be hurt if I did this. Why did I always have to over complicate things? I just needed to walk forward- he was the enemy! He’s tried to kill me so many times, and succeeded once!  
  
My lips pressed together and I took a step forward, only to hear Ghirahim hiss.  
“You are not going anywhere, daughter of Kallen.” I heard him stand, the air almost vibrating with the waves of magic he unconsciously expelled. This was not going to end well.  
  
I had walked away from Ghirahim once before, and I can do it again. My feet carried me and I continued on the path, “You have no right to order me around, Demon Lord.”   
  
The snap warned me; seconds later where my foot had been was a fence of gold and ruby diamonds that blocked my path. If I had heard the other snap, perhaps I would not have been so surprised when I was suddenly pressed against the fence with one hand twisting my hair and the other holding my sword arm to the fence. “Fallon…” I felt the breath of his whisper on my ear as he whispered into it. “Why are you so desperate to be rid of me?”  Fingers curled into my arm and I hissed in pain, causing him to loosen slightly. “We had such a pleasant moment last night. I’ve stayed by your side; spared your life numerous times, and even then you walk away. Does none of this-” His teeth caught my ear, tugging gently enough for me to quiver, “mean anything to you?”  
  
Not good at all. “I can’t, Ghirahim. Don’t do this; don’t make me think you actually have feelings other than lust for me. I can’t be used, Ghirahim. I can’t stand being used again.” How often had you used me, I’ve lost count after sixteen. “You don’t care much about whom it is you’re going after- just as long as their body is warm and that of a human woman’s.” The urge to push him off of me grew as his breath stilled.  
  
The attack of my senses started suddenly, his lips hard against my neck as his hand pulled my head back to expose more skin. Before I could cry out Ghirahim’s hand was covering my mouth, his own mouth gliding down to the skin of my shoulder. It tingled where he kissed, all logical thought stopping at what he was doing. Weight left my hips, and I gasped as I realized that Ghirahim had undone the belt around my waist. What in the name of Hylia was he doing? Panic suddenly entered my system as my back was pushed harshly to the fence, the shield gone as it clattered to the ground. My eyes caught his and my breathing stopped. He was angry, lids hanging low over his brown eyes and a frown tugging at his lips. The pale demon stepped up; crushing our bodies together and making me look up at him.  
  
“A warm body?” He hissed, hands suddenly under my tunic and chain mail, prying at the undershirt. “Is that what you think I am only after?” Ghirahim’s hand found crawled under the final layer and I shivered as I felt skin and not his glove. Warmth spread from the palm that rested on my stomach, the other reaching around to my back and he somehow got closer to me. “When I choose a lover- a true lover- I want all of them.” Ghirahim’s lips curved up, “I am a very controlling demon and I believe I have let you pull the strings long enough. I don’t want just your body, not anymore.”  
  
Oh Goddess. Thoughts of leaving flew out of my head and all I could do was stare at him. I had forgotten his feelings. Could Ghirahim really be suggesting this? He knew what had happened to Kallen, me. I licked my lips and Ghirahim’s face moved closer to mine, his fingers very warm as they teased my skin. My brain short-circuited for a moment and I wanted him to continue what he was doing to me. “Ghi-Ghirahim! Please! Not right now! I…” His lips sealed mine and I let him have his way for a moment, eyes closing tight and I felt my chest tighten painfully. Pushing him away I took a deep breath, looking him in the eyes and not his expression. “I need to save my students- from you no less. How could this ever work?”  
  
Ghirahim shut his eyes, leaning his forehead against mine as he groaned in frustration. “I try to seduce you and all you can think of are your students. You complicate things far too much, Fallon.” He bit my nose tenderly, hands removing themselves from my skin and setting themselves on either side of my head. “Here’s a little deal.” Ghirahim winked playfully, “If the Hero cannot defeat me before I get my hands on the Spirit Maiden, you can try your hand at fighting me. If you defeat me or I get the Spirit Maiden though, I can have my way with you tonight.” He smirked as his thumb traced my jaw line, “I’ll even handicap myself to only using my swords and magic.”  
  
Finally able to breath, I thought over this deal. Ghirahim’s eyes burned me and I felt his hands slip under my clothing again to rest on my hips. Trying to ignore the small circles of pleasure that came from him, I kept my mind focused on what I have seen Link do. Of course, I had trained him myself so I was fairly confident in his abilities, but against Ghirahim? There were monsters down here though, so he must have at least some experience against foes that weren’t targets. Ghirahim said he would go easy on Link as well.  
  
I smirked, “Deal accepted. You better keep your end of it.” Even if Ghirahim defeated Link, I knew I could defeat him.  
  
“There’s the fire,” Ghirahim grinned and nipped at my lips. “But will you keep your end?”  
  
I sputtered at the matching fire in Ghirahim’s eyes. He was probably already thinking of what he could do to me. Fighting off a blush I managed to stutter out, “Of course!”  
  
Eyes darkening, Ghirahim’s grin extended, “Good. Because I will love to see that beautiful blush under me tonight.”  
  
“Ghirahim!” I shouted partially, stunned that he would actually say that out loud. Could he not be a pervert all the time?  
  
The demon himself chuckled, kissing me before breaking away to add, “Of course, I have to mark you as mine before you even get close to another man.”  
  
Mark? Did he mean-  
  
Slapping my own hand over my mouth to suppress a gasp, I tried to fight against Ghirahim’s mouth on my neck. Insufferable demon! After a while I let him do it and tilted my head back. It wasn’t bad to let myself feel this way right? I shivered as he sucked the skin of my neck into his mouth hard, biting not at all gently and I knew it would bruise. Wincing momentarily in pain as skin was broken, I let him lick up the blood he had spilled. After this torture session was over Ghirahim pulled back with a grin as he looked at what I knew had to be a large hickie.  
  
“That will suffice for now,” The Demon Lord’s voice was cocky and he looked in my eyes.   
“Not as permanent a mark as others, but it will do.”  
  
I sighed and rolled my eyes. Men. “Are we going to go, or are you going to continue trying to seduce me?”  
  
“Hm, that second option sounds particularly delicious,” Ghirahim smirked at the thought, “but I believe it would benefit us best to go.”   
  
“Then let us go.” I smiled in response, feeling that this would play out in my favor. “And let’s see who benefits from this deal.”   
  
Ghirahim snapped, the world going dark as we teleported, “Yes. Let’s.”


	12. Skyview

When I opened my eyes, I allowed myself a moment to blink before I was yanked closer to a hard body.  
  
“Careful.” Was all the demon muttered, before stepping away from the edge of the worn walkway. “There are monsters in here and I don’t want to have to babysit you.”   
  
A short sigh left my lips as I yanked myself out of his hold to cross my arms, “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Ghirahim.” There was no reason for him to be coddling me; in fact, it was rather odd of the demon to show this level of care. I glanced at him oddly, but he was halfway down the corridor already.  With a shake of my head I walked after him, batting aside cobwebs.   
  
Ahead on the pathway were several bokoblins, who moved aside as soon as they saw Ghirahim.   
Running to catch up with him, my path was blocked by the guards who growled lowly at me.  
  
“Human woman!”  
  
Reaching for my sword, I started to rumble a retort in return when Ghirahim’s hand was on my shoulder. Startled, I looked ahead to where I thought he had been to only see a few glittering diamonds remaining. He pressed against my back, leaning over and into the faces of the bokoblins.  
  
“Move aside, you impertinent demons. Can you not recognize that this woman is my mistress?” Ghirahim’s voice was steadily rising in anger as his fingers gripped my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at him, wondering why he was getting so hyped up at just a couple of bokoblins. I could’ve handled myself, it’s not like I was afraid of their clubs.  
  
They bowed quickly, muttering apologies and wishing for forgiveness. Seems as if he is still feared, if not more. How come I wasn’t afraid?  
  
 _It’s cause we used to be with him when he was vulnerable,_  The thought drifted into my mind, the whisper of myself from the past making herself known.  _It’s because we know he can be so gentle. Remember the way he would caress us at night-_  
  
No, it wasn’t because of that. Something is different from back then. Could it be that I-?  
I had to stop thinking about him.   
  
My eyes flickered over the still pools of luminescent water. Was this really where Zelda was? I had never so much as seen her lift a sword during school, so how would she be able to get by all the spider’s webs? I whacked one aside and into the water thoughtlessly, not even aware of Ghirahim anymore. And that was a good thing; it meant I could focus on being a teacher again. One that is concerned for her students.   
  
My stomach flipped, baby Loftwings practically flying in my gut. Why was I so nervous? Who was I nervous for? I was sure Zelda was safe- she was the Goddess after all. But what if something were to happen and she would get hurt before she even made it to the spring? What if Ghirahim was stronger than I thought he was and he defeated both Link and I? I didn’t particularly care if he had his way with me, but Zelda… She was who I was worried for.   
  
And that was good. I was starting to return to my job, my duty. I would make up for my past mistake. But… wouldn’t history repeat itself if I stayed with Ghirahim? Could I   
really devote myself wholeheartedly while still tied to him?   
  
“I can sense her… the Spirit Maiden is close.” His voice echoed off the walls and roots of trees, making me jump slightly and look at him. Ghirahim’s dark eyes stared into me, a wicked smile present as he taunted, “Looks like the Hero won’t make it.”  
  
“He will.” I replied calmly. I couldn’t let him know about how that thought brought a shiver down my spine. If Link doesn’t show up, I would quite literally be screwed. Even if I defeated him, he would get his way.  
  
“We’ll see, dear,” Ghirahim smiled, the door before him opening with the grinding of stone. He stepped confidently through and into a circular room. “Because she is on the other side of that door.” A single gloved finger pointed to a large golden door opposite of the one we just passed through. “I hope you’re prepared for what will happen tonight.”  
  
Roses bloomed on my cheeks and I crossed my arms defensively, “He’ll be here.”  
  
Ghirahim’s hand latched onto mine, closing tightly so that I could not let go. “Stop being so optimistic. Can’t you see that I’m about to win.” He dragged me across the room to the front of the door, “All I have to do is get rid of the barrier around the door and the Spirit Maiden will be within grasp.”  
  
A gate opened; panic filling my pores as I shouted suddenly, “Not if I stop you!” I began to struggle, trying to pry his bruising fingers from my wrist as I reached for my sword.  
Shaking his head, Ghirahim merely chuckled, “You really are quite silly.” A black rapier materialized and he raised it quickly, “As soon as we stepped into the room, it was too late.” Just as he was about to strike, he stopped. I was able to see a quick scowl on his face before the blade vanished from his fist and he turned. “Look who it is…”  
  
As his fingers unwrapped from my arm I turned, heart jumping as I saw Link dressed in the green of a Knight of Skyloft. He had made it! Zelda still had time to get away, as long as Link would be able to handle Ghirahim. But as soon as I saw my student’s face, my panic washed away. He was the Hero of Time, after all.  
  
Ghirahim sighed before turning to face Link, “I thought that tornado I stirred up would have tossed and torn you apart, yet you are here. Not in pieces.”   
  
I couldn’t help but snort quietly and to myself, finding the line funny. He had seen me survive the tornado and the fall, and yet he thought Link would be the one “in pieces?”  I believe the two shot me a slightly annoyed look, so I gestured for them to continue.  
  
“…Not that your life or death has any consequences.” Ghirahim bluffed, flipping his hair to the side. It was weird how afraid of him I could be one second, and then amused the next. Then again, he’s always had that unique skill. “It’s just the girl that matters now, and I can sense her here… just beyond the door. Yes, we plucked her Majesty from her perch in the clouds, and now she’s ours.”  
  
So this was his evil monologue, how cliché. I sighed, my eyes moving over from Ghirahim to Link as the former continued to talk. It felt like so long ago that I had last seen him. That look in his eyes, it was different from any look I’ve seen in this Link. It reminded me of all those years ago, when the first Link and Kallen had taken on Demise.  
  
Link drew his sword, his hand trembling only the slightest as he took on a defensive position. “You’re not going to take her.”  
  
“…Did you really just draw your sword? Foolish boy.” Ghirahim did not respond to Link’s statement, instead looking somewhat happy that he had. A shiver fell down my spine as Ghirahim concealed the grin. He knew that Link and he would have to fight eventually. So why had he not started the fight already? Why was he drawing this out? “By all rights the girl should have fallen into our hands already. She was nearly ours when your dear teacher snatched her away.” There was a brief smile, until it suddenly flipped into a scowl. “Do you have any idea how that made me feel inside?” The room suddenly dropped in temperature as the lights flickered, causing me to actually take a step back and glance at Link in worry. “Furious! Outraged! Sick with anger!” He disappeared in the midst of his yelling.  
Where was he? I watched Link, knowing the Ghirahim would appear anywhere around him. There was this horrible pit in my stomach as Link began to look around in confusion. If only I could keep him safe! He had to do this though, if I stepped in and fought his fight, what would happen when I wouldn’t be able to?  
  
“This turn of events has left me with a strong taste for bloodshed.” Ghirahim’s voice was knife-sharp as he crept behind Link. Any warning I could give Link was swallowed by the look Ghirahim gave me briefly before whispering in Link’s ear.  His voice was too soft for me to hear, but based on Link’s horrified expression I could only guess.   
  
Link gasped, stepping away from Ghirahim, “You’re sick!” he replied, a light blush on his cheeks, “And don’t you dare touch her!”  
  
“Hm?” Ghirahim smirked, raising his arms as his mantle disappeared, “What an amusing expression. I wonder what it will look like when I’ve broken your bones? And Fallon,” His eyes held a bemused look in them as he gestured to me, “Don’t get in the way.”  
  
Even though his hand did not touch me, I found myself stumbling back to the wall. As soon as my right hand made contact with the cold surface, a crackling cuff appeared and wrapped itself around my wrist. My eyes made contact with Link’s for a moment and I tried to shout something encouraging, but by then Ghirahim was already upon him. I winced at how loud the clang of Ghirahim’s sword against Link’s shield was, but I had to look to more pressing matters. I turned, fingers digging into the diamonds around my sword arm. They wouldn’t budge, just as I figured.  
  
Placing my foot solidly against the wall I tried again, trying to get more leverage, but all it did was hurt. I heard a slight popping sound and felt it travel up my arm and I immediately stopped, dropping my foot to the ground as I had to grit my teeth together to keep from making a sound. After a moment the pain of straining my wrist fell away and I let out a breath to look at the dueling swords behind me.  
  
I couldn’t tell who had the advantage, Link or Ghirahim. Ghirahim wasn’t smirking anymore, so Link must have been better than he thought. I let a brief smile show through on my face, feeling the bubbles of pride enter my head. It was always a nice feeling to see your student beat up the “Demon Lord of the Surface.”  
  
 _He’s not going to give up so easily. Stop letting your teaching ego grow,_  Kallen whispered somewhere within us. And she was right; he wasn’t going to let Link get away from this without a few scrapes.   
  
“Keep alive, Link! He’s far from a pushover like Groose!” I shouted, earning a glance from Link as he nodded. “Keep your eyes on Ghirahim, idiot!” I thought I’d never seen a hat whip around that fast as Link managed to keep daggers from poking out his eyes, sending them flying back at Ghirahim.  
  
They continued to exchange blows, swords dodging and striking forward. Scratch mark lined with faint blood were scatter over both of them and they were slowly starting to pant. It was only until Ghirahim left himself open that Link slithered forward, breaking past Ghirahim’s guard to strike a solid blow on Ghirahim’s side. The demon howled, daggers exploding outward so that Link skittered away.  
  
Holding his side, Ghirahim held his sword at point to Link, “Well… that’s more of a fight than I would have thought possible out of such a soft boy.  But don’t clap for yourself quite yet. That sword of yours is the only reason you still live.”   
  
What could he have meant by that? Sure, it was a very nice sword that Link was holding… oh.  Well, I’m not sure why the Kallen in me did not recognize the Master Sword sooner, but I’m just glad I did. So that’s why Ghirahim seemed to be a little more hurt than I thought possible.  
  
“I fear I spent far too long teasing and toying with you.” Ghirahim’s sword rested slightly and he gave me a look, “The girl’s presence has all but faded from this place, which means there’s no reason to linger here. Isn’t that right, Fallon?” The smirk on his face was all the warning I got before my arm was released, and then Ghirahim’s arm was around my waist. “Goodbye Sky Child. Run and play this time. Get in my way again, though, and you’re dead.” There was still a trace of a smirk as he said this, although   
I think his hard eyes left more of an impact on Link.   
  
“Let go of Fallon!” Link shouted, not at all taken aback by Ghirahim’s monologue.  
  
Ghirahim’s sword was halfway in the air when he paused, smiled, and replied, “No, I don’t think so. You see, I like this toy a little more than you.” His arm tightened, pressing me to his side.   
  
All I could do was place a hand against Ghirahim’s chest to keep from completely becoming a part of his side, but I called out, “Don’t mind me, Link! Just get Zelda and bring her back home! I’ll follow you!”  
  
Another squeeze of his arm was all it took for me to gasp for breath as he growled in my ear, “That is more than enough, a simple “Go away, he’s got a bigger sword!” would have sufficed.” Ghirahim smiled sugar at Link, “Ta ta, Sky Child.” His sword swung down, and we were gone again.


	13. Doubting History

There was a brief moment of confusion when I found myself in a room built of solid stone. Did Ghirahim not teleport out of the Skyview Temple? It wasn’t until my eyes fell upon the deep red bed that it clicked.  
  
“Welcome to my abode, my dear.” Ghirahim’s voice was strained, the endearment a little too sweet in my ears as he stepped away. Blood seemed to dot his pale frame as he glowered slightly at me. “You know… it never has hit me until now that you must have been the one to teach the brat to fight.”  
  
My mouth turned to sandpaper for a moment and I turned around, looking to the small baubles on a dresser, “I was just one of Link’s teachers. But yes, I was the one who taught the Hero how to hold his own in a fight.” Images of a dungeon suddenly passed through my mind, part of me expecting some sort of pain.  
  
The air around me grew several degrees warmer as Ghirahim pressed into my back, cornering me by the dresser. I could feel his nose brush the curve of my shoulder and I shuddered involuntarily. “Then you should feel responsible for the pain I was just dealt, do you think so my dear?” The demon’s voice was low with a mix of anger and desire, the hairs on the back of my arms and neck rising in warning. “I think… I deserve some attention.”  
  
“You can use your magic for that, Ghirahim.” There was no reason to appear panicked. Never mind the fact that I was worried my clothes would just disappear and I would be thrown onto the plush bed for the next couple of hours. “If you have time to be playing doctor, then you have time to show me where I could take a bath.” I mustered up a bit of courage, turning to look at him with a coy eye, “I doubt you’d like me being near you, smelling the way I do.”  
  
One of his large brown eyes stared back at me, “I suppose… but then you will have to go along with whatever I feel like.” His fingers danced up my arm as Ghirahim pulled me from the dresser and across the room.   
  
That sent a splash of cold water over my senses, and I just looked at him. “Of course, because that’s totally what a lover would do. Sounds more like a slave, Ghirahim, and you know I refuse to be a slave to any.”  
  
The muscles in Ghirahim’s shoulders tensed for a moment, before uncoiling as he laughed, “You’re simply too stubborn. Fine, I’ll just have to seduce you properly.” His nose wrinkled as he smelled the air, “And for the love of all that is evil, you really do need to bathe.”  
  
I felt all the uneasiness from before drip away from the scene, and I punched his arm lightly, “Whose fault is that? If I wasn’t worried about you jumping my bones, I would’ve bathed in the river or lake.”  
  
“That is a very good reason,” Ghirahim’s hand made itself known on my hip. “It would be so much easier then, too. Why didn’t I think of that?” We were out the door and down the hall, through another door and into a room with an unnecessarily large tub.  
  
“I hope you know that patience tends to make things like sex just that much better,” I had to point out.   
  
“If you’re worried about quality over quantity, don’t worry. I have enough of that for the both of us,” Ghirahim winked, hand once again ghosting over places it shouldn’t. He moved away then, and stood expectantly with a look on his face.  
  
I scoffed, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, “I’m sure you do. But just what if, I was the one with the quality?” Smiling at the look on his face, I turned to the tub and began to unbuckle my belt. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to take a bath.”  
  
“Oh, I don’t mind at all. I need a bath as well, actually.” Ghirahim walked up, breathing down my neck as I pulled off my blue tunic.  
  
Sighing, I let the demon pull off my chain mail, so that I stood in my black undershirt, pants, and boots. I turned to face him with a straight mouth and eyebrows, “Ghirahim, why don’t you find me something to change into? I’m going to take a bath first, okay? A girl needs a little time to herself.”  
  
Ghirahim paused, looking at me strangely, “That was uncommonly political of you, Fallon. Of course, whatever outfit I bring you, you’ll have to wear.”  
  
Scowling as images of leather bikinis and thongs appeared in my mind, I hoped that I was not about to make a huge mistake, “Fine. But as long as it fits in the right places and nothing… well, overflows, I’ll trust you.” I turned to the bath, beginning to twist the ornate crystal knobs so that warm water streamed out of the faucet.  
  
“Then I hope you don’t mind if I take some… measurements.” Ghirahim’s smirk was practically audible as he leaned onto my own doubled over form. Of course, my mind went blank when I felt the hands touching my chest. And by blank, I literally stopped all forms of movement or coherent thoughts.  
  
Sounds spilled from my mouth, each one slowing forming angry syllables that wanted to be sown together but my lips seemed to have lost the ability to. My hands found the rim of the bathtub and I gripped it hard, my face down so that I could see the white-gloved fingers playfully squeeze.  
  
That was it.  
  
“Ghirahim.” The fingers paused, as did the low chuckling. “Why are your hands on my breasts? You better have a damn good reason.”  
  
“In place of some measuring rope, of course,” His voice was smooth, just above a whisper as the demon nipped at the corner of my ear. “So that nothing… overflows, you see.”  
Letting out a breath I had been holding, I tried to make my voice as light as possible,   
  
“Oh, is that right? Then could you kindly remove your hands, before I snap your fingers off? Or were you hoping I’d melt in your arms at your touch?”  
  
Ghirahim’s hands moved, but not much father from where they were, “Come on, Fallon. You’re not even a little bit… interested? Don’t you want to know how good it feels?” He pulled me against his frame, turning my face to meet his. “You can’t honestly say you don’t want this.”  
  
Memories from my time as Kallen floated through my mind. Oh, I knew how good he was all right. I did want it, but not now. It would feel wrong. I felt like I was betraying myself, Ghirahim was supposed to love Kallen, not Fallon. Granted, we were the same person, but he didn’t know that. How many others has he been with since then? How could I tell him that, though? I can’t tell him, not yet.  
  
“You know Ghirahim, I had heard about you long before I knew just who you were.” It was a partial lie, Kallen knew before I met him. “Apparently, you had met my ancestress long ago. It was a story passed down my family, about how she was your lover.” His arms tensed around me, becoming steel cages. Ghirahim’s dark brown eyes bore into me, questions floating on his face. “Do you want me, just because I’m related to her?”  
  
A small smile appeared on Ghirahim’s lips, “If you think that has anything to do with it, you’re quite wrong. It is a little… odd to the say the least, that I would take two lovers from the same family. Maybe the genes of your family are just that beautiful. However,” Ghirahim’s arms tightened, squishing me to his frame, “You are not a replacement for that woman. No one can replace her. And if you think for a moment that you are better than her, you are sorely wrong.” He pushed me away, my thighs meeting the bathtub and I gripped onto the rim to keep from falling. Ghirahim pushed me farther into the wall, causing me to bend backwards in hopes to escape. He followed me though, trapping my head with a hand as his thighs pressed against mine own. Roughly, his lips fell on mine as he passed his anger on through the kiss. It was messy, and quite frankly one of the worst kisses of my life as I tried to gasp for air. Before I knew what was happening, Ghirahim was out the door, “Bathe, and be ready for tonight. It’s about time you find out what it means to be my lover.” The door banged shut, my muscles flinching.  
  
My knees gave way under me and I sat on the rim, hands shaking. How was I supposed to know it was a touchy subject for him? Once again, I was happy that he thought I was irreplaceable, but at the same time hurt because I couldn’t replace myself! Goddess, was it annoying to reincarnate! I wanted to tell Ghirahim that I was his Kallen, but I shouldn’t.  
  
Why shouldn’t I though? What was keeping me from telling him? Was it the uncorrupted Fallon, not wanting to drown? Trying to keep my identity? But I was both Fallon and Kallen, so which should be dominant? I feel like they’re practically two separate beings, Kallen trying to take over the body of Fallon. Maybe I wanted him to love me for who I was now, and not the past? Whatever the reason, it left an ache in my head.  
  
Pulling off the rest of my clothing I slipped into the water, all the sores and tired muscles relaxing. Why couldn’t the rest of me relax though? My mind replayed his words over and over again. I honestly was not sure what to think. Once again, Kallen saw no problem with it, knowing how many times I had slept with Ghirahim in the past and knowing practically everything about him. But then there was Fallon, who barely met him but a couple of days ago and was still a virgin. I winced, remembering the feeling as Kallen of losing one’s virginity. It certainly was not pleasurable at first. Did I really want to give him pleasure? I would feel dirty, hardly knowing him in this form and already having sex with him? Having been engaged to Horwell, we never did anything more than hold hands or give each other light kisses. Was this body able to handle such a thing?  
  
Well, there was a simple answer. Don’t let him. Give Ghirahim something else to do, or convince him to just go to sleep or even just kissing. He had been so upset though… But wait, why was I worrying about the demon?  
  
Good Goddess, Link was still out there looking for Zelda while I sat here in a luxurious bath! Did he have enough food? Enough health potions? Enough money? Was his sword sharp enough? Could he find a safe place to sleep for the night? I bit my lip, feeling worry course through my body as I slipped into the water so that only my nose and up were above the water. I was such a horrible mentor, how could Link stand me?  
  
Then there were those girls, Kaxlin and Leslie. What were they doing right now? Were they alright? Were they safe from the patrols of bokoblins I had occasionally seen? Was there enough… whatever they needed?   
  
I groaned, submerging myself completely and reaching for a bottle of what I hoped to be hair wash. That was my problem, I cared too much. Sometimes I wished I was a giant shield so that I should protect everyone that I wanted to, lock them inside a room so that they couldn’t get in trouble or ever need anything ever again. But that wasn’t happening anytime soon, unless by some miracle I was given the power to do so. Needless to say, it was impossible.  
  
But, it was nice to actually be able to think. All I’ve been doing since I flew into that tornado was run around. Wait, all I have been doing is protecting everyone! My head made a dull thunk against the marble of the tub as I sprawled out, hair and every other part of my body clean. I kept Ghirahim from going right away to the Skyview Temple, I kept him from attacking Kaxlin on sight as well as Leslie, and I even warned Link a couple of times. Why couldn’t I enjoy myself for one night without worrying about them?  
  
 _Cause it’s not in my nature,_  my conscience, taking the form of Kallen called out.  _If you didn’t care, who would?_  
  
I sighed, nodding briefly. Yes, that was the whole dilemma. But, why not for one night? Why not throw the rules out of the window and have some fun? Pulling myself out of the tub, I wrung my hair as dry as I could and towel dried the rest of me. I had no idea how long I had been in the bath, but I sure hoped Ghirahim had brought me those change of clothes, seeing as he grabbed my old ones.  
  
Slowly opening the door, my eyes latched onto a pile of clothes on the floor before the door. Thank the Three Goddesses that it wasn’t leather. I pulled the pile into the room, closing the door again and began to lay it out. Thankfully, it was more cloth than I expected. Smoothing out the golden fabric, my stomach dropped, knees hitting the floor.  
  
Hands dropping to the garment, I stared at the familiar dress. How long ago was it that I wore this dress? It was my favorite dress when I was Kallen, with a white dress and golden kirtle. Small embroideries on the hemlines were the only acknowledgement that I had been a priestess of Hylia, the crest dotting along the bottom of the skirt and sleeves.  
Why the hell would Ghirahim have this? I’m sure that I never so much as stepped inside his castle with this on. So where would he even get this? Did he go into my house, through my old things? How many of my old clothes and things does he have? What did this even mean?  
  
A whole Loftwing full of emotions hit me then, and I bit my lip to hold in the pain gathering in my eyes. Now that I was actually able to think, to remember, I realized just what it meant to be reborn. Everything- everyone- I had known in that lifetime was gone. My children, my house, my neighbors, the temple, the smith, my horse. Everything. I was the worst, leaving behind my children like that. I should have fought harder, so that I could have seen them grow up. How hard was it for them, to be without either of their parents? And Aden, oh, he had been waiting for me on the other side! Had I even seen him? I couldn’t remember!  
  
My chin quivered and a low gasp escaped from between my teeth. I felt the hot water glide down my cheeks, and a hurriedly pulled my knees up to hide my face. Goddess, why did I have to remember? It would have been so much easier if I hadn’t. I could have ignored Ghirahim, take him out at any time. But no, these damn memories will always get in my way. What if he came in right now, what would he say? How could I respond without seeming weak, or giving away who I really was?  
  
Horror struck my core when I heard a knock on the door and a gravelly voice call out, “Lord Ghirahim is waiting for his Mistress.” Thankfully, it was a servant, but my voice just wasn’t able to carry without the blubbering that came with the tears flowing.   
  
“Mistress?”  
  
When I continued to not respond, I heard footsteps leading away. I breathed out, trying to compose myself. What sort of an adult was I if I couldn’t stop crying? Slowly the tears stopped and I rubbed at my eyes, hoping that they weren’t swollen and red. It was obvious that the servant had gone to Ghirahim, so I should expect him kicking down the door at any moment. Weakly I stood, looking at the mottle of bruises on my body. I couldn’t bring myself to put on the dress, not now. Reaching for a robe laying innocently across a nearby table, I pulled it on and tied it around my waist. I didn’t want to be stark naked when he came in.  
  
Sure enough, the door was banged open and Ghirahim strode in, shouting, “Why are you not dressed yet?” He sounded annoyed, words practically biting. I wouldn’t blame him though, not after the day he’s had.  
  
My face was turned away from him, so he couldn’t see my eyes. “Can I please have a different dress?”  
  
I heard him scoff, “What’s wrong with the one right there?” He moved closer, and I simply walked away.  
  
“I don’t like it.”  
  
Ghirahim stopped, “That’s hardly a reason. If you’re not going to give me a good reason, then you might as well walk around in that robe!”  
  
“Anything is better than that dress!” It escaped me before I could stop it, my shoulders tensing as I gripped my arms. “I just can’t Ghirahim.”  
  
The room grew quiet, and Ghirahim touched my shoulder. I flinched, moving my shoulder out of his palm but he just gripped harder. “What is wrong with you, woman?” His voice was rough, but there was a note of care in it. The demon turned me around harshly, and my face was pushed up so that my eyes met his. “Your eyes are red. Do you really hate that dress so much?” His brow was wrinkled in confusion, his mouth perplexed into a straight line.  
  
“Yes.” I cast my eyes down. It was humiliating to see him like this, and I was starting to struggle with the tears again. “It’s too cruel.”  
  
“What’s cruel? I may be a demon, but making you wear dress is certainly below my standards of cruel.” Ghirahim sounded between a mix of annoyance and worry. “So what is wrong?” His hands were tight on my shoulders, keeping me from moving away.  
  
Now that I was able to look away from him I did, “Please don’t ask.” How was he going to react if I told him the truth? I could never tell how he would treat things, even thousands of years ago.  
  
“If you say something like that, I’m just going to push you more, Fallon.” Ghirahim’s eyes practically drilled into me, “What is wrong with the dress?”  
  
I was silent for a moment longer, mulling it over. What really was the point in lying? “Memories. It brings back too many memories.”  
  
My voice was barely above a whisper, and so Ghirahim leaned in close, “Why would you have memories about this dress? Some childhood trauma?” His voice was penetrating, demanding me to explain.  
  
“No, no childhood trauma. Memories from… when I last wore that dress.” My eyes flickered to the pile of cloth, too afraid to look at his face.  
  
If it had been quiet before, it was silent now. Ghirahim’s facial features stayed flat, and in a tight voice he asked, “Are you joking? Cause if you are, I’m going to snap your neck.”  
  
“Why would I joke about something like this?” My voice snapped, eyes finally meeting his. “How could I make up memories as well, if they weren’t my own? The last time I wore that dress, my children were still alive, as was my husband.”  
  
My back was pushed against the wall, hand closing around my throat tightly as Ghirahim growled out, “There is no way. It’s one thing to be jealous of an ancestor, but to go so far as to try and impersonate her?! She died by my own hand, there is no way she could be alive after my own blade pierced her chest. I thought you were better than that!”  
  
Mouthing gulping for air, I tried desperately to claw his hand off. Now I understood why I didn’t want to tell him. “I know!” My voice was barely audible, “I did die! But now I’m back! Please, Ghirahim!”  
  
“No! I am going to kill you, just for trying to taint her image with your own!” Ghirahim’s hand tightened, my windpipe starting to give under the pressure.  
  
My mind began to spaz out, arms flailing against him as I opened my mouth to scream. Why? Why wouldn’t he believe me?  “Please! Give me a chance!”  
  
“Why should I?” Ghirahim’s eyes narrowed, piercing me right through the heart. His hand did loosen slightly though, and I gasped for more air.  
  
Seeing dots dance across my vision, I reached for his other hand. I brought it to my body, placing his palm just under the curves of my breasts, “This is where Demise pierced me with you. Every time we would sleep together, I would always pray afterwards to Hylia to beg forgiveness. My children, Harn and Ullia, they loved to play with your cloak. The first time I met you, my husband had just been killed and you saved me from being raped by demons. Every night when we laid in bed together, you would always want me to take the lead at some point in time. You made me do such humiliating, dirty things. You hurt me. But, you also took care of me.” I was gasping at the end of my speech, rambling off small things that I could barely remember. “You loved my baked toados. You would talk nonstop about how you and Demise would take over, and that I would always be by your side. You promised to keep my children safe, to forbid any demons or monsters from ever stepping near the house. And there was one time, when we were out walking in the forest and you-“  
I was cut off by Ghirahim’s hand laying itself across my mouth. His eyes were wide and shocked as he stared at me, “There is no way you could know those things. But I refuse to believe that you really are Kallen. But… if, in theory, you are… why did you lie to me?”  
  
“Put yourself in my shoes, Ghirahim. How would you feel if you woke up, on the ground, realizing that the demon you had just met the other day was your lover in a past life?” With his hand gone from my neck, I was finally able to calm a little, the panic receding to the back of my mind. “If I had told you then, you would have thought I was crazy and killed me right then and there. I wasn’t going to tell you either, but then the dress…” My eyelashes lowered as I looked at his collarbone, exposed now that he wasn’t wearing his mantle. Could he really accept that I was Kallen? One would think that he would be happy to see me. But what if he had come to hate me?  
  
That thought was banished as I felt fabric slide over my lower lip. My eyes rose to meet Ghirahim’s, as he looked at me through pained eyes. No, he didn’t hate Kallen-me. “I would have killed you. I wanted to half a minute ago. How can I be sure it really is you, though? A spell could have replicated the memories for all I know. It wouldn’t be the first time.”  
  
I stared at him blankly for a moment, my mind returning to me as the lovesick girl retreated, “You have to be kidding me, Ghirahim. You saw how shaken up I was by the dress! What more do you need? A blood sample? A trip inside my mind? If you’re not going to believe me after all the evidence I’ve given you, you never will.” My hands found his chest, pushing him far enough away that I could escape his arms. “And then you might as well give me my uniform back, because I’m leaving.”  
  
“Now wait a moment, Kal- Fallon.” Ghirahim returned to my side, hands grabbing at me, “I have to be careful, otherwise others who have impersonated you- Kallen will get the upper hand. Old habits die hard. You were dead for several hundred years, and most humans never remember their previous lives.”  
  
“Hm,” my lips pursed, thinking it over. A part of me felt both disturbed and pleasantly happy that others had gone to such lengths to get to Ghirahim. “Well, I’m not an impersonator.”   
  
“I think I’m starting to get that,” Ghirahim sighed, shaking his head. “Then, forgive me for not wanting to get my hopes up. It’s just been so long.”  
  
I turned slowly, hands reaching up. Maybe our getting together was inevitable, so why was I opposing it now? Should I even bother? It was going to happen anyways. My fingers glided through his hair, pulling him down to me. “I forgive you.” Unconsciously, I smiled. “But… I think we both need a little room right now.”  
  
Ghirahim’s hand glided up, pulling the palm of my hand to his lips, looking at me thoughtfully. “What do you want me to call you? Kallen? Fallon? Oh my, they are awfully similar. How haven’t I seen this before?” I felt him smile against the skin of my palm, setting it on fire.  
  
“Ghirahim…” I made an exasperate sound. He still wanted it, even though he was just threatening to kill me a moment ago? “Please, continue to call me Fallon.”  
  
“Alright then, Fallon.” With his confusion gone, there was a distinct gleam in his eye as he looked me over. “Shall we find you something else to wear, then?” Ghirahim’s lips glided down to my inner elbow, teasing the skin there. “Or just take off that robe?”  
  
My eyes knit together sternly, “Just because we had sex in my previous life, don’t think I’m going to be so easily seduced.” Of course, that tickling thing he was doing with my elbow wasn’t helping. “I’m starving Ghirahim. Any second now, my stomach will start grumbling. I don’t imagine you like that sort of sound during canoodling.”  
  
Ghirahim smirked, looking at me from the corner of his eyes, “My, you really are Kallen. I don’t mind, not at all. And we’d have to wait after you ate, wouldn’t we? I’d much rather go now, than later.” He left my elbow alone, dragging me by the belt of the robe to him.   
  
“Well, you might, but I would much rather wait.” I smacked his hands away from the front of the robe. “When it gets dark out, though…” My eyebrow rose, “Then you can try seducing me again.”  
  
A feral grin replaced the smirk on his face as Ghirahim replied, “Oh, you can bet on it.”


	14. Kallen Part II

The demon had been right. My husband was dead- or barely alive when I found him next to the anvil. His body was growing cold and the blood dark when I pulled his head into my lap. Aden did not last much longer than that, opening his eyes only once to smile at me before dying.   
  
I cried, great hollow gusts of breaths escaping my mouth as I clutched the head of the father of my children closer to me. Part of me did not want it to be true; I wanted him to suddenly call out that I was suffocating him, for me to let him go. But he didn’t, and so the tears continued to stream down my face as it felt like my chest was about to break from the crying and heartache. I don’t remember crying so hard ever, not even during the deaths of my parents, Ullia, or Hamond.  
  
The sun was bright and it burned into my back, warming my hair and somehow giving the corpse  lukewarm skin. Why couldn’t it rain, like in every sad novel I’ve read? Those were my thoughts as I held my husband even closer. I stayed like that for half an hour, until the town guards came running with Aden’s mother and my children.  
  
They took care of the body, having to only pull me gently away. Why couldn’t I fight them? I wanted to hold him a little while longer. Harn clung to his grandmother’s skirts as he stared at me, his young mind not understanding what was happening.  
  
“Where are they taking Daddy?”

  
  
  
The demon forces were growing, slowly slaughtering small villages and humans. Many came to the temple, praying to Hylia, hoping that their goddess would come and save them from their terror. I was often busy as the head priestess, and many times tested in my faith as wave upon wave of survivors of destroyed villages took safety within the walls of the city. I saw so much pain, and yet I was able to hear Hylia whispering her instructions to me.  
  
I pulled the cloak away from my face, standing in front of the giant oak door that led up to the man Hylia wanted. Only he would do, and so I motioned for the guards to unlock the door.  
  
“Are you quite sure, High Priestess?” The captain of the guard looked uncertain, “Even if he was framed…”  
  
My eyes flashed to him, “Hylia wants him. Who are you to deny your Goddess? Open the door.” My voice was hard, and the reflections of my priestess robe’s jewelry bounced with the torchlight. There was no way they were going to deny me, not with how desperate the humans were becoming.  
  
As he moved to unlock the gate, I smiled. Now to just convince the man within the tower. As the door creaked open and I swiftly ascended the stairs, I heard the clinking of chains. The air in the tower was stale and stunk of an unwashed body, the smell growing as I reached the source. A mop of blonde hair lifted, startling blue eyes glaring at me before widening.  
  
“Link.” I smiled, hair flowing behind me as I walked closer to him, “Link the Hero.”  
  
“Have they finally decided to get rid of me?” Link’s voice was harsh, a rasp due to lack of water. “Why else would the High Priestess of Hylia come to me?”  
  
I shook my head, still smiling. I had to be gentle with him, “No, Link.” Turning to the guard, I asked, “Would you mind getting him some water, and release him of those chains?”  
The hero’s eyes narrowed, “What do you want with me?”  
  
I held my hands out, “Haven’t you heard? The lord who framed you was killed by the Demon King Demise. Why don’t you come out into the light of day?” Resting a hand over my heart, I felt the corners of my eyes crinkle, “Link. We need you. The Demon King’s army is growing stronger, and the people need a Hero.”  
  
Link shifted in his chains, looking down, “It was the people who said they had no need for a powerful hero. Now that it’s convenient, you want me to fight? What’s more, my sword is broken. I can’t even run anymore.”  
  
Ah, and now came the authority of being Hylia’s messenger, “Link. The one who asks for your help is not the people, but the Goddess Hylia.” Out of the folds of my cloak I brought forth a sword, “I have refashioned your sword myself, Hero. Your crimes are wiped away.” I lifted an eyebrow, “Anything else to add, captain?”  
  
The guard saluted, “Ah, yes m’am! Your premonition of danger was correct. We all realize that now. On behalf of the people, I am sincerely sorry for these past four years!”  
  
“That’s a good man,” I smiled, turning back to Link. “Now, what say you, Hero?”  
  
Finally, a smile appeared on the face of the young man, “And here I thought that I would be able to sleep in peace.”  
  
I laughed, the sound resounding through the tower, “Not yet, young man. Not until the Demon King has tasted the might of the humans.”  
  
The guard quickly moved; the key turning in the locks of Link’s shackles. “Your clothes are downstairs, and the priestess will take you from there.”  
  
Rubbing the sores from his wrists, Link looked at me as I began to walk away, “Why me?” He followed down the stairs, legs shaking from lack of use.  
  
My feet were quiet against the stone, “Why not?” Opening the door, I motioned for Link to step ahead of me. “What do you think makes you so special from the average soldier?” It was important that he understood, he had to figure it out himself without someone just telling him.  
  
Link was silent, walking into the room I pointed out and grabbing his clothing. I left him alone to get dressed, waiting outside of the door.  
  
I breathed slowly, fingers absentmindedly tracing the embroidery of the dress. Hopefully everything would be in time, and I wouldn’t have to see that demon lord again.   
Of course, true to the demon’s word, he had visited again. In the night he stole into the house, watching me in my sleep. I would have never known if I had not woken from a nightmare and into another one.   
  
Leaning my head back, I remembered the scene.  
  
 _The Demon Lord Ghirahim smiled at my panic as I scooted back, trying to get away from him. “Why, you’ve awoken from your slumber, sleeping beauty.” He settled on the bed, leaning over me as I tried to reach for the dagger under my pillow. I froze as his hand cupped my cheek, eyes flashing to look at him.  
  
Swallowing past the fear in my mind, I asked him, “What do you want with me?” I had a clue, but I was hoping to distract him long enough to get away.  
  
“I would have thought it was rather obvious. I even said so before.” He pressed closer, crawling in between my legs, “I want you.”  
  
I blamed how young I was, but my cheeks involuntarily flamed up, “Don’t come any closer, demon.” The dagger was in my hand, tip pressing against Ghirahim’s throat. “I’m not about to let you come in here and rape me, just because you want me.”  
  
“Now who said anything about rape, my dear?” Ghirahim chuckled, seemingly unconcerned of the dagger pressing into the flesh of his throat. “I fully plan on seducing you, you know.” He tilted his head, regarding me with a smile, “Like I thought, you really do look arousing with a blush on your cheeks. Makes me wonder what kind of sounds you would make..?” The thought caused his already dark eyes to deepen, licking his lips as he leaned forward.  
  
I jabbed the dagger forward, Ghirahim flinching backwards, “Stay. Back.” My mouth was in a firm line and I glared at him. “And get out of here before I gut you.”  
  
The demon was still for a moment, contemplating me before he fell back onto his elbows,“Well, now I’m even more interested. What a bark, you have there, Kallen.” His eyelids lowered, looking at me in a sultry manner, “Aren’t you even a tiny bit curious?”  
  
I stood, getting as far away from him as possible, “Not at all. I’m not some virgin, demon.” I narrowed my eyes, “And sex with someone I don’t love is not sex at all.”  
  
“As blunt as ever.” Ghirahim shook his head, standing. “Weren’t you the one who let herself be sold away for a place to stay? I doubt you felt love for your husband, you didn’t know any better.” He stalked over to me, cornering me yet again even as I tried to escape.  
  
“Who are you judge what love is, demon!” I practically spat in his face, “Like you would know what love is!” The words stung, that he didn’t believe I loved my husband.  
  
“If you had loved him, I would not have been able to get this close to you,” Ghirahim was right, while I wasn’t paying attention he had glued himself to me, grabbing my thigh through the nightgown and trying to hoist it onto his hip. “You would immediately have screamed for the old woman next door, or just scream. But you haven’t done that.” His smile was as feral as it was sweet, “So you must be interested, at least on an instinctual level. So why deny it?”  
  
Scowling, I allowed myself to meet his eyes, “Who says I won’t yell? Perhaps I’m just confident that I can take you on?”  
  
I yelped with the movement of the demon’s hips, but he cut me off before I could say anything about it. “You and that itty bitty dagger?” His lips ghosted over my jaw line, licking the skin of the corner before biting it softly, “It would be shameful if the sword of Demise was bested by only that.” He chuckled, sending goosebumps down my spine.   
  
“Get away! And how dare you try to-“ My protest was drowned when I felt his lips push themselves against my own, quickly smothering any thoughts as the pale demon pulled me close. Despite myself, I was surprised by how warm he was, and I froze as I felt my face heat up again. Damn him! My hands beat against his shoulders, trying to get away even as I was pulled farther into the kiss. Why was I so weak?  
  
I stopped fighting, and he pulled away. My face dropped and I refused to face him. Why was he so fascinated with me? Was it my looks?  
  
“Your looks are certainly what first caught my attention, but that’s not the only thing I’m interested in now.” Ghirahim replied. My face heated up as I realized I had spoken aloud, and not in the quiet of my mind. “How many women have you met with white hair and purple eyes, and a body like yours after having two children?”  
  
That got me quiet. As I did not respond, he took it as a sign to continue, mouth attaching to the side of my neck. My eyes widened, quickly guessing where this was heading to and not liking it, “Fine! Fine, I believe you! But I don’t want to just be some sex… partner.”  
  
“Hm, then what would you want to be?” Ghirahim’s lips lingered on my neck.  
  
I thought quickly, coming up with a solution to get rid of him, “If you can get me to fall in love with you within the next fortnight, then you can claim me as your lover.”  
  
“Seems easy enough,” Ghirahim finally raised his head, a smirk on his face. “I bet it will take less than a week.”  
  
“Here’s the catch.” I held up my hand, “During that time period, you may not do anything more than kiss me, and only when I give my consent. You will not show up in front of my children or mother-in-law. No one can know about this.”  
  
“Fine, I’ll play your game.” Ghirahim’s hands tightened on my thigh and back, “Just watch, you will be mine.”  
  
Something in his eyes was weird; they were far too childlike in their gleam. Perhaps he was like a child, wanting a toy? My hand snaked up, finger pulling back and flicking him square in the head. “Dream on, kid.” _  
  
The door squeaked open, startling me out of my memory of the previous year. I looked to my right, smiling as Link walked out.  
  
“So, where exactly are you taking me?” His eyes were hard and resolute, shoulders square under the weight of his sword.  
  
Pushing myself off of the wall, I started to walk away, “I figured that you would need some time to recover. Four years in prison tend to cause skills to rust away. I hope you don’t mind, but I have a room prepared for you at my own residence.”  
  
Hearing the clanking of the young man, I didn’t bother to turn to see if he was following or not. “Why are you going to such lengths, High Priestess? Even if the Goddess wants me, you don’t have to do that.”  
  
“Well, because I can and as a mother I don’t want to see you wandering the streets. I’ll also help you get back in shape.” I shrugged, my feet swiftly descending the tower stairs. I held the hem of my skirt up, sure to not trip on it.  
  
I heard the footsteps of Link stop and I paused, looking back at him for once. He stood there, a concerned look on his face, “Forgive me for asking, but how will a priestess help me with my swordsmanship?” It was almost adorable, the way he looked apologetic but arrogant. Heroes, these days.  
  
Laughing, I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I tend to think my story is more well-known than it really is. I’m the only one left of a village of mercenaries, all of them were killed off before I was thirteen. For that reason, I’m not really a priestess but a paladin for Hylia. Everyone tends to hate the idea of a female paladin however, so I let them call me the High Priestess.” I turned back around and started to descend again. “And did I not say that I fixed your sword myself? I’m a lot stronger than I look, Link.”  
  
“Yes…” Link started back down the stairs, “But surely, are your skills really that good?” He still sounded unsure, silly man.  
  
I allowed myself to chuckle, “You’ll have to be the judge of that.”   
  
  
  
  
  
I jumped at the knocking of the door, water splashing everywhere as I tried to reach for something to hold on to.  
  
“Hey, woman, answer me!” Ghirahim was shouting through the door, “If you don’t reply; I’m coming in!”  
  
My eyes widened and my heart leapt in my throat. No way was he going to see me like I was right now! “Sorry! I had something in my eye!” Practically smacking myself from the pathetic excuse, I searched for something to cover up with. Wasn’t there a dress?  
Wait. What?  
  
I pulled myself out of the tub, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around me. Looking around the room, I couldn’t find the gold dress from earlier. Why was I in the tub again?  
  
“You had something in your eye? Did you hit your head or something, Fallon?” Ghirahim sounded annoyed, the pounding on the door dying down.  
  
“Maybe,” I whispered, before raising my voice, “Did you bring me a change of clothes?” Just what was going on? Did I dream the whole thing earlier? If I had, why did I still feel so nervous? I felt like my heart was ready to run away from the entire thing. Would I ever be able to tell Ghirahim who I was?  
  
“Depends on if you’re able to give me a good answer as to what you were up to.” I could practically imagine him placing a hand on his hip, glaring at the door.  
  
I looked down at my appearance, glad that the towel was as large as it already was and hoping that it covered enough. Reaching out to the doorknob, I opened the door and leaned on the frame of it. “If you must know, I was so tired that I fell asleep,” I let out a sigh, shaking my head as I looked at him. “And my face is up here, right where it’s always been.”  
  
Ghirahim chuckled, not looking up from where he had been fixated before, “Oh, but I rather enjoy this view. Had I known that you were asleep, I would have just walked in for an even better look.”  
  
“And its talk like that, that makes you oh so very unattractive and just plain creepy.” I pushed off the wall, grabbing the bundle of cloth from the floor before moving to close the door. Part of me was jumpy, feeling like a cornered Remlit because of that dream. Would Ghirahim ever accept me?  
  
Placing his foot in the door, Ghirahim looked at me, “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, otherwise I would have slapped you for that.” No, he wasn’t about to accept me. There was no way I could ever tell him something like that.  
  
“Oh yeah?” My eyes narrowed, “I should have slapped you for such a perverse and disgusting comment. Now if you don’t mind, I’m getting dressed.” I turned back around, looking at the blouse and skirt he brought for me. Good, nothing from my previous life. Just like in the dream, I would not have been able to handle it. Probably, I would just collapse right then and there if it was, and that would have led to explaining things I didn’t want to.  
  
“Oh really? As if you would dare slap me,” Ghirahim’s tone was growing more and more irritated; clearly he wasn’t in a good mood. My skin tingled at his anger, every hair on my body warning me that this was not a good time to argue. He was mad from getting beat up by Link, and this will only aggravate him more.  
  
I stopped, running an aggravated hand through my hair and away from my face, “Ghirahim, I’m not dealing with this right now. Both you and I are in no shape to be talking pleasantly, so why don’t you close the door so that we can both cool down.”  
  
It took only a second for him to slam me against the wall, the breath leaving my lungs as Ghirahim loomed over me. “I have a better suggestion. You stop ordering me around, and strip.”  
  
My hands automatically went to my towel, holding it close to my body as I puffed my chest out, eyes turning cold and hard. This was too far, and all I could think of was how much I wanted to punch the cold look out of his eyes. I tightened my grip on the towel, trying to push away the thought. “Get out of my face.”  
  
Eyes narrowing, Ghirahim growled out his response, “By whose order? Yours? Don’t make me laugh, woman.”  
  
“You want to fight?” I lifted my chin, lowering my eyelids to look at him through my eyelashes. “Then just say so, and don’t beat around the bush.”  
  
Ghirahim scoffed, smirking, “You have no weapon. And I bet that you can’t let go of that towel. There’s no way you could win.”  
  
I swore I saw red for a moment as my hands jerked. My lips snapped up into a similar smirk to Ghirahim’s as I pushed my face close to his, “You’re just afraid of losing to a woman, lover boy.” I wanted him to realize that I was no pushover. I wanted him to see me as an equal, as he used to all those years ago. And I’ll be damned if he dared to push me around.  
  
“Ah, I’m afraid I disagree. After all, the last time we fought the outcome was me winning, wasn’t it?” Ghirahim was growing cocky as well as mad, smile sharp and ready to bite at me.  
  
“The last time we fought, I had just fallen over a thousand feet and survived. When was the last time you did the same and fought a demon lord?” My voice was sharp and heavy in sarcasm, body burning to just land a good hit on him. “Stop being a wuss and fight.”  
  
Eyes widening for a moment, Ghirahim took a deep breath through his nose, the sound amplified by the tile of the bathroom. “You’re asking for it, sweetheart.”  
  
“You got me riled up, so it’s only right you dealt with me.” I felt the anger in my veins quicken, my heartbeat loud in my head. Between how I was feeling now, and the dream from earlier, I was ready to brawl, quick and dirty and be done with it. I knew that would satisfy both his hunger for violence and my temper, but only if he would swing at me. “And you didn’t have any problems hitting women thousands of years ago.”  
  
That got his attention. The smile dropped from his lips and he pressed closer, hissing, “What did you just say?” The lights in the bathroom flickered, a droplet of water hitting tile.  
  
Batting my instinct to flinch and cower aside, I puffed my chest up even more, meeting his squarely, “Seems like you liked to hit your old lovers a lot, apparently my dear, sweet ancestress would come home covered in bruises and scratches. And who was the one to kill her again? Whose blade was it that severed her lifeline?” He flinched, and I got in his face, growling right into his ear, “Fight me, bastard.”  
  
That was it, and Ghirahim snapped. I felt my body soar into the air, landing on the tile harshly as Ghirahim roared. I flipped my hair out of my face, feeling the sting in my knees and hands as I stood. Ghirahim approached me, growling out, “Bitch.”  
  
Yes, this was definitely what we needed. “That’s really all you got? My students can throw me better!” I smiled, definitely feeling better and a lot less confused. I didn’t have to think about the past or the future, I just had to think about what move the demon in front of me what going to pull. As he threw a punch, I dodged under his swing and kicked his side, hearing a solid groan from him.   
  
Ghirahim was positively feral, his hand latching onto my hair as he threw me again. This time, there was definitely blood welling up on my knees as I skidded to a halt. “You just love to hit low, don’t you?” There was a burst of pain as he kicked me hard in the stomach, causing me to gasp.  
  
I chuckled, standing up and letting the towel fall off of my curves. There was a momentary panic when I realized I was bare, but it fled as my body screamed to punch him. “If your opponent has a weakness, use it to your advantage.” I grinned at the look on his face as he took in my body, “Wouldn’t you agree, Demon Lord Ghirahim?” Throwing myself at him, I pushed him to the floor. I got a good couple of punches at him, his head slamming to the side as I put my weight into it.   
  
The pale demon threw me off, shaking his head as he stood back up. There was a smile on his face, hair disorderly and chaotic, “And here I thought this fight would be boring.” He kicked at me, catching my hand as I dodged and pulling me against him. I felt his hand crudely grope me, before I felt the punch to my kidney.  
  
I coughed, blood speckling the wall as I grasped at Ghirahim, “You motherfu-“ I was cut off as I felt Ghirahim’s lips trail over my neck. “Dear goddess, Ghirahim! We’re in the middle of a fight!”  
  
“If your opponent has a weakness, use it to your advantage.” Ghirahim chuckled into my ear, his hand feeling me up as he held me close. “Wouldn’t you agree, Lady Fallon Lumiar?” I grunted as I doubled over, his knee burying itself in my stomach.  
  
My hands automatically grabbed onto his shoulders, pulling myself up and panting. “Oh, so just like this?” I practically glued myself to him, putting my panting to use as I breathed heavily in his ear. “Isn’t this just how you want me, Ghirahim?” The effect on his body was immediate, and I smiled to myself as I felt it for myself. Perhaps I had a bit of a sadist’s streak in me?  
  
“Hylia’s wings, Fallon, you tease.” Ghirahim’s voice was dark as he hands attached to my back, feeling the dip in my spine and adventuring lower.   
  
“Hm?” My voice was honey and I pulled away, just to tease him with more of my skin, “Me, a tease? Whatever gave you that idea?” A wicked smile dripped onto my face, and before Ghirahim could react, I hit him squarely with my knee between the legs. He dropped immediately, groaning as he held himself. I stepped over him, ignoring the look in his eyes as he glanced up at me, before going over to the pile of clothes I had dropped earlier.   
  
Before I even had the time to pull on the blouse, I was tackled from behind. My face slammed into the tile and I groaned as I felt a foot dig into my back. “And I thought that you hit low before.” Ghirahim’s voice was a hiss. I saw stars whirl as my head was slammed by his foot, leaving me dazed as I lay on the floor. I felt the roots of my hair scream as my head was peeled off the cold tile, my throat making a whining sound as Ghirahim did so. “To think you were this pathetically weak, though.”  
  
Without thinking, swear words fell out of my mouth. The words were foreign and familiar however, and immediately I realized my mistake of letting my mouth run. Did I really just curse him out in ancient Hylian? Ghirahim’s shock was palpable, and while he was frozen I decided to act. I flipped onto my back, arms grabbing onto the hand  and foot that held me and throwing him off. As he thudded against the ground, I rolled back on top of him, fists swinging at anything I could. His hand pulled at my hair, but I ignored the feeling of my hair being torn out as I pinned his arms down.  
  
“I’m weak?” I looked him in the eyes, meeting the fire in them as I struggled to keep his hands down. “Yes, I’m weak. I’m human, I’m mortal. I break easily and my feelings are even more fragile than that. If a weakling like me is able to make you angry, though, what does that make you? I just want to know one thing: Will you ever love me, despite my ancestress?”  The corners of my mouth dropped, and I began to wonder where these words were coming from. “I hate being compared above all else, Ghirahim. If you don’t learn to even like me, and only me, then there will be nothing between us. Can you do that?”  
  
Ghirahim gritted his teeth, hands yanking themselves free. He sat up, all traces of him physically inclined to fight gone, “Hate to disappoint, babe, but no. You’re just another conquest.” I sat there, dazed, as Ghirahim ran a hand through his hair. “You’re starting to get on my last nerves. To be honest, the only reason I hadn’t killed you the minute we first met was because of your body. I was only vaguely nice in order to get you into my bed.” The demon smiled sweetly at me, the white lips seemingly unaffected by the blow he had dealt me.  
  
What a blow it had been. It was if he had punched my kidney again, except worse. Flinging myself off of him, I reached blindly for the clothes. “Get out.” I didn’t want to see him. I didn’t want him to see the water gathering under my eyes. Angrily wiping at the tears, I yanked on the blouse and skirt. I turned back to him, face furious, “I told you to get out!”  
  
Ghirahim stood, face amused at my hurt, “Last I checked, this was my castle.” Oh, how I wanted to smack him even harder. “And you promised to keep me occupied.”  
  
My chest welled with my breath as I stared at him, “You arrogant son of a bitch. What makes you think I’ll even touch you, except to slap you into hell?” There goes any of my dreams of him liking me again, as well as me telling him a thing.   
  
“Because I said so, and if you don’t want to end up in a very dark place, I suggest you do so.” His chin lifted up as Ghirahim met my stare. “It shouldn’t bother you, as you clearly have feelings for me.”  
  
My eyes narrowed under the feeling of my heart shriveling. “Well you can go fuck yourself. What woman in her right mind would do so, after what you just told me? Goddess help me, I want to strangle you so hard it hurts. To think, I even gave you a chance after that talk of slaves.”  
  
“What makes you think I’m giving you a choice? You’ve gotten yourself into this situation.” Ghirahim’s smile was hard.  
  
That made me pause, Ghirahim taking the advantage to step towards me. Quickly I raised my voice, “I may have gotten myself into this, but that sure as hell doesn’t mean I’m about to service a man who doesn’t love me.” I clucked my tongue, working hard to hide the pain I was feeling. “Now I see what a fool I was. After all, no demon could ever truly love a woman.”  
  
“And why do you keep poking at that?” Ghirahim growled, hands dangerously close to my neck.  
  
I shouted back at him, dodging the choking hands as I limped towards the door, “Like I’ll ever tell you!” Pulling my sword and adventure packs up, off the ground I gestured rudely towards the demon. “I’m going to go find someone worthy of my love. Hell, I’ll start a family too! Might as well try again, now that you’ll finally leave me alone. So wonderful to know that I meant so much to you!” I was halfway down the hall before I felt his hand on my shoulder.  
  
“So you’ll go back to your ex-fiancé?” Ghirahim sounded  shocked, the confidence in his voice lost. “What makes you think I’ll let you?”  
  
Pulling away from his hand, I instinctively hobbled down the stairs. Good thing I remembered the layout of the castle from so long ago. “Because you would only hold back someone you loved!”  
  
“Stop, Fallon!” Ghirahim sounded hurried as he descended the stairs behind me. “Will you listen to me, Fallon? I may have to explain something.”  
  
“I dare say you explained well enough!” I stopped though, looking him dead in the eye. “I think you’ve wasted enough of my time, Demon Lord Ghirahim!”  
  
Ghirahim reached for my hands, even as I yanked them out of his grip, “You will listen to me. What I have to say is important, Fallon.” I flinched away as he touched my cheek, “I was angry and my mouth ran away with it.”  
  
My eyes narrowed, “I don’t believe you. I shouldn’t believe you, so don’t you dare give me any sort of hope.” Fists clenched my skirts as I struggled to keep myself facing him. “Don’t you dare, Ghirahim.”  
  
Mouth opening, Ghirahim closed it once before opening it again, “Give me another chance.” His brow was furrowed and withdrawn, Ghirahim biting his lip before continuing, “Like you said, I’m a demon. It’s… hard for me to love. You can’t just expect me to sing a ballad of my love for you; we met barely four days ago. How you humans are able to love so quickly escapes me.”  
  
There was a moment of stunned silence as I blinked, “Ghirahim, are you apologizing?” To think that he was left me shocked. Even those thousands of years ago, it would have taken me twisting his arm for him to apologize.  
  
Although, his facial expression made it look like I was twisting his arm. “You could take it that way.” Ghirahim looked away, and I swore there was just the faintest of a pink hue in his cheeks, and it was not from running after me.  
  
A sigh left my lips and I stepped up so our faces were level. Placing a hand on his cheek, I turned his face towards mine. His eyes landed on my smile and his face brightened somewhat. “Fine. I can’t say no when you’re apologizing so sincerely.” I felt myself settling down, and I realized that I was asking a lot of him. Hopefully, with time, he’d come to love me again, but not right now.  
  
Nodding, Ghirahim smiled, “I’m glad you accepted. I might’ve done something regrettable, otherwise.” He quickly amended it when my smile turned into a frown, pulling me close to him, “You made me hurt you, how regrettable.” Ghirahim wiped at the corner of my mouth, looking at the red stain on his glove closely.  
  
“Well, I also did quite a number on you,” I winced, feeling the sting of the cuts and bruises.   
  
Ghirahim rolled his eyes, “Yes, but I’d like to think I can take three times the amount a human can and still stand. I didn’t hold back either, Fallon.” There was a smile on his face, and for once it wasn’t mischievous or violent. It was just a good, whole-hearted smile that somehow reminded me of a little boy. “Come back to my room and I’ll heal you.”   
  
A smile quirked at my lips, “Have you run out of pick up lines, Ghirahim?” Nevertheless, I walked up the staircase, not waiting for the demon lord. I heard him follow after me though, so I continued, “And, as much as I love this dress, what exactly did you do with my clothes?”  
  
Ghirahim was already by my side when he responded, “I had one of the servants wash them. Once they’re cleaned, they’ll bring your clothes back.” He wrapped an arm around my middle, our hips bumping together as we ascended the stairs.  
  
Smiling at the contact, I looked at him, “Thank you, Ghirahim.”  
  
I had fully expected the demon to pounce on me as soon as the door to his room closed with a click, but all Ghirahim did was take a hold of my hand, guiding me to the bed and forcing me to sit down. He did exactly as he said he would as well, healing each of my wounds until even a scar from my childhood was gone from the knuckles of my left hand. It was weird, the way Ghirahim was so focused on my wounds that he didn’t even try to look up my skirt as he healed the peeled skin over my knees. And when all of my pain was gone, he moved onto his own wounds, the bruises on his face from my fists fading away.  
  
We sat there then, awkwardly looking at each other and then around. I looked at my lap where my fingers intertwined, my senses focusing on any movement Ghirahim made. It was hard to refrain from a snicker as I realized what it was like- the mood was like that of two pure-hearted virgins who were afraid to make the first move. Nothing was going to get done in this setting, and so I opened my mouth.  
  
“You know, Ghirahim,” My eyes lifted to his, finding them steady on me. “I haven’t had a proper meal in several days. Do you have a kitchen where I could make something really quick?”  
  
Ghirahim smiled, the awkwardness of the room subsiding as he scooted closer to me, “How quick would that be?” His hand crept over my intertwined ones, loosening my fingers and slipping his hand inside.  
  
“Before you could say toados eggs,” I smiled back, hands tightening around his fingers. After his earlier apology, the thought that we could maybe get along wormed its way back into my mind. If he disappointed me again, I felt like this relationship would crumble. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try.  
  
Tightening his hand in response, Ghirahim lifted himself from his bed, “It’s hard to argue when you say it like that.” Gently, he pulled me up to my feet before tucking my hand into the crook of his arm. “This way, then.”  
  
We were quiet as Ghirahim escorted me to the kitchen, the demon paying attention to where he was going and I lost in my own thoughts. Not ten minutes ago we were at each other’s throats, throwing each other across the room and threatening. Was there some sort of “gentleman” switch inside of Ghirahim I managed to flip? Maybe this was just another dream, and I would wake up to find that I did tell Ghirahim I was Kallen and we were in bed.  
  
My heart pounded at that thought and I fought the blush that was sure to rise. I wasn’t sure what to do with him on that subject quite yet. If I wasn’t Fallon, if I didn’t feel some sort of maidenly shyness, I would almost say yes. But, as I was just as much Fallon as I was Kallen, I wanted to stick to my principles. And that meant not sleeping with a man- no, a demon- whom you met only a couple days ago, much less the enemy.  
  
I let loose a sigh, piquing the attention of the demon himself, “Why, whatever’s the matter, Fallon dear?” His brown eyes were intense, taking in every inch of my face and I could practically see him think.  
  
My mouth opened to give some sort of lame excuse, before I finally decided to just tell him the truth. It was better he knew now, and not if we ever got into that sort of situation. “I’m… not sure how to justify how I feel.”  
  
Ghirahim was quiet for a moment, turning a corner with me on his arm before he responded, “What do you need to justify?”  
  
A bubble of frustration popped through our air of calm, “I serve the goddess. You serve the Demon King. What you want to happen shouldn’t be happening… but I want it to.” I groaned, “But at the same time I can’t just… fall for you after so short a period of time.” There was the blush, incinerating my face as Ghirahim stared at me. “It’s just not like me.”  
  
Mouth straightening into a line, Ghirahim looked forward, thinking. Once again, he waited until after we had passed through a door to say anything, “Long ago, your ancestress had the same problem. She was normally very strict in these interactions, not wanting to stray from the path of a priestess and mother.” His hand pressed against my hand pressed to his side, squeezing the fingers reassuringly. “The amount of time it took for me to get to such a point… well, it is one of the reasons I love her.” He sighed, looking tired, “Loved is actually a better description. I want to get past her though; it’s taken this long for me to find someone that I think can do just that.”  
  
“I see,” My voice stuttered at the sudden confession. Is that how he really saw me? Goddess, what have I gotten myself into? I wasn’t sure if I was flattered or not, the fact he wasn’t able to get over me was, well, entirely too romantic. The fact that only with my help will he get over me, only to fall in love with me again? My head hurt thinking of the consequences, and I let out a small chuckle.  
  
“What’s so funny?” Ghirahim’s tone turned hurt as he looked at me through narrow eyes.   
  
A smile found its way to my face and I kissed him gently on the cheek, “You caught me by surprise. I didn’t know you were so romantic.” My body naturally leaned into him as we walked into the kitchen.  
  
Ghirahim’s body relaxed as we slowed, his arms coming to form a circle around me. “Let’s just say I’m a surprising individual.”  His fingers tilted my chin up as he tilted his head, “All of which you will just love.” His smile was a mix of suggestion and honesty, one corner just barely higher than the other, not enough to be a smirk.  
  
I couldn’t help but snort, the situation too good to pass up, “I’m afraid you’re going to be the one surprised, Ghirahim.” Placing another chaste kiss on his jaw, I pulled away to go further into the kitchen, “If you think you can surprise me again, dream on, kid.”  
  
 _Ghirahim_  
  
She pulled away, skirts swirling around her feet as she practically swayed her way into the kitchen, “If you think you can surprise me again, dream on, kid.” The smile on her face was gentle though, eyelashes brushing softly against her cheeks. Almost the picture of the perfect wife.  
  
Blinking, the words rolled around in my head. Why did her words sound so familiar?  
  
 _”Dream on, kid.”_


	15. Conversations

We were quiet, the silent ticking of the clockhands only interrupted by the sounds of the turning pages. After I had eaten, Ghirahim asked me to accompany him to the library. Apparently the demon had some studying to do in his pursuit of Zelda, or the “Spirit Maiden” as he liked to refer to her as. I took notice to what books he skimmed through; all seemed to be relevant to time.  
  
A servant had delivered my uniform to me some time ago, along with what I could only presume to be a glare. So, even in this time demons hated to think that Ghirahim would take a mortal woman instead of the women of his own kind.  
  
Stealing a look from the corner of my eye, I looked at Ghirahim properly for the first time in a long while. It was easy to see why most demon women would want him- hell, even some Hylian women found him desirable. He had a well-formed face, with a straight nose and a slender jaw. Sure, there was the fact of his missing eyebrows, but it made his large brown eyes stand out. His hair was smooth and well-kept, which meant he had enough time to worry about it. However, probably what attracted most was his body. Ghirahim was tall by my standards, and no doubt more muscular than many of the men in Skyloft had been. Not only that, but he oozed confidence that was borderline cocky and arrogant. He was powerful too, and much older than most would guess.  
  
Ghirahim shifted in his chair, his eye catching my own. A smirk caught onto his face as I looked hastily away, back to my hands where I was mending the tears in my uniform.  
“How discourteous of me, Fallon.” I heard what I could only guess to be Ghirahim closing his book, the soft mix of a clap and a thud that paper makes echoing.  
  
My shoulders lifted into a shrug, eyes now fixated on a rip on the shoulder of my blue tunic. My fingers quickly shoved the needle in and out of the material, closing the gap and tying it hastily. “You’re not being rude, Ghirahim. We’re both minding to our own work.”  
  
There was an audible sigh and the groan of a chair as Ghirahim stood, approaching me. “Well, perhaps so. However, I wanted to have a proper conversation with you without threats or punches, for as much as I love being thrown around I doubt you share my feelings.” Hands appeared in my field of vision, gently stopping the rapid movement of my needle.   
  
Looking up from his hands, I looked at Ghirahim’s smiling face. What could he possibly want to talk about? “Okay…” I moved, hands placing the needle, thread, and tunic carefully on the floor before folding my hands in my lap. “What should we talk about, Ghirahim?”  
  
There was movement, and before I could protest I was lifted into the air, and with some shuffling of bodies placed back down in Ghirahim’s lap. Feeling Ghirahim’s arms wrap around me, pulling me close, I didn’t even bother to struggle. The two of us shifted a little, getting comfortable, until Ghirahim spoke, “To be quite, painfully honest, I don’t know that much about you, Fallon.”  
  
So, it appeared that he still understood some of the basics of relationships. A small smile slipped onto my face as I sighed, “That’s quite a broad topic, Ghirahim. Is there any particular thing you would like to know about me, or should I just start talking?”  
  
“Oh, ramble on as you please. I quite enjoy it when women ramble,” Ghirahim flashed a smirk, hand brushing my hair over my shoulder absentmindedly. “It leads to interesting topics.”  
  
Meeting Ghirahim’s eyes for a moment, I thought of what to talk about. I’d have to stay away from topics of Link or Zelda, I didn’t want to involuntarily give him a weakness of theirs. He already knew mine, so there’s no use hiding myself from him. “Well, I obviously grew up in Skyloft. My parents were kind, my father a knight who would patrol often. My mother sold confectionaries at the market; we even made our own chocolate.” I nodded, “It’s very quite on Skyloft. It’s nothing like it is down here on the Surface.”  
  
“A heaven for the remaining humans,” Ghirahim let a bitter smirk fall on him, “So it really was.”  
  
Shrugging, I smiled at him, “I suppose you could say that. We always had enough to eat, and diseases were few and far between. There was the occasional disaster, most of the time it would be some fool who would try to fly at night. Or they’d be on a patrol and would be attacked suddenly. That’s what happened to my father. Shortly after my mother caught the flu and passed away as well.” My smile fell, remembering how weak my mother had been in her last moments. I felt Ghirahim’s hand on my back, making smooth circles between my shoulder blades. Breathing in, I sniffed briefly before looking at Ghirahim again, “But I didn’t feel too lonely.”  
  
“How come?” Ghirahim seemed to prompt, looking mildly curious. I partially was glad he didn’t pretend to care about my parent’s passing, I could just tell the words would have been hollow.  
  
“I had the others there to help me get through. I worked for a while, getting enough money so I could go to the academy to become a knight.” I remembered being so resolute towards Gaepora, refusing any of his offers to let me go to the academy for free. I didn’t want to be in his debt, and so I made the money through odd jobs. “I got with my ex-fiancé during our school days. I had known Horwell all my life, but I had never given him a thought. It sort of just… happened.”  
  
“I see,” Ghirahim’s hand stilled on my back, eyes darkening as he frowned. “It just happened.”  
  
Slapping myself for being enough of an idiot to mention Horwell, I quickly added, “But, I focused more on my studies so it was more of just a title. I became a knight and patrolled for a year and a half. Eventually, I was offered a job as an instructor at the academy. That’s basically all there is to know about me.”   
  
Ghirahim’s hand was moving again, sweeping all across my back as he pulled me closer, “Now I think we both know that there is so much more than just that, Fallon. How long were you and this Horwell fellow engaged?” His lips were coming in dangerously close, his breath hot against my face as his eyes lowered to mine.  
  
Fighting down a blush, I muttered, “You don’t have to worry about him Ghirahim. You’ve seen more of me today than he has in twenty-four years.”  
  
“Hm, but how much more has he touched than me? You could be surprised how dirty the actions of the fully clothed can be.” Ghirahim seemed sour, hands beginning to trace over the waist of my skirt.  
  
A frown made its way to my lips as I returned his sourness, “Ghirahim, do you really think I’m not a virgin?”   
  
“There’s only one way to know for sure,” Ghirahim made to raise his eyebrow, if he had any that is.   
  
If I wasn’t blushing before, I could feel it now. I shook my head, “You’re so impatient.”  
  
“Why shouldn’t I be? The thought of a wimpy human even touching you makes me mad, but when you won’t let me touch you, it’s more than a little infuriating.” Ghirahim growled lowly in his throat, hands teasing my blouse out from under my skirt.  
  
I was quiet for a moment, letting Ghirahim begin to pepper kisses on my cheek and jaw before I spoke, “I’m not a slut, Ghirahim.”  
  
Ghirahim paused in his kisses, “I never said you were, sweetheart.” He’s cautious though, hands stilling on my back and lap as his face meets mine.  
  
“You’re treating me like I’m one, though.” I sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Did I really have to explain this? It was slightly embarrassing, to be honest, and it reminded me of when the other teachers at the academy would have me give “the talk” to the girls. “Think, please. I was in a long-term relationship and I’m still a virgin. I know you for four days and all of a sudden you expect me to have sex with a demon I just met?”  
  
Brow creasing, Ghirahim gave me a confused look, “Do you truly value your virginity that much? It’s purely symbolical for you humans. And as I understood in the past, most wanted to be rid of this status of a virgin?”  
  
My mouth opened, before I closed it, trying to think of a way to explain it properly. “Well, in the old days when women were merely objects, it was more to show that a woman had never slept with another man. Now, it is still symbolical in that some women keep their virginity until they find the one they think they want to spend the rest of their life with. We see it as sort of a gift, per se.” I shook my head, “It’s hard to explain, without making it sound primitive.”  
  
The frown that was appearing on Ghirahim’s face deepened, his tone taking on a hurt tone as he replied, “So you’re saving your precious gift for another man.”  
  
A groan of disbelief flew past my lips as I looked at Ghirahim, “That’s not what I’m saying at all. Ghirahim, did I ever outright say that we weren’t going to go at it?” When he slowly shook his head, I continued, “Having your virginity taken away hurts for women, the thought scares us from charging headfirst into it. Also, the possibility of having children is an issue. But most of all Ghirahim, I’m afraid.” Smiling slightly, I pressed on, holding onto his hand, “I’m afraid of how much it’ll hurt. I’m afraid of how to react after we do it. I’m afraid of any consequences it might have on the two of us.”  
  
Frown straightening out, Ghirahim gave a sigh of relief, “And here I was, thinking that I’d have to kill some human.” He leaned his chin in the palm of his hand, still having a look of mild befuddlement on his face. “Human morals have always confused me.”  
  
“Yeah, well, I would expect no less of a demon lord,” I let a sigh escape my mouth as I gave him a skeptical look. “I would be more concerned if you actually understood our morals.”  
  
Snickering, Ghirahim pulled me closer to him, “Now if you would only loosen your morals… we could have some real fun, Fallon.”  
  
“Right,” I lifted an eyebrow as Ghirahim pulled my leg so that I practically straddled his lap, “Because that happens in the span on five seconds.”  
  
“Would some liquor help?” He was really pushing his luck, hands ghosting over the back of my calves as he gave me a cocky smile.  
  
Oh, may the Goddess give me the patience to deal with this overzealous demon lord!  
  
“Ghirahim.” My eyes met his in a very pointed look, “What happened to that nice conversation you wanted to have? Tell me about yourself.”  I placed my hands on his shoulders, ready to push him away at any time.  
  
Pulling away the tiniest of bits, Ghirahim let loose a toothy grin as he replied quickly,   
“I’m the Demon Lord Ghirahim, Demon Sword of the Demon King Demise. I like blood, swordfights, books on magic, and sex. Lots of sex.” With that said, Ghirahim decided to attack my collarbone with his lips.  
  
My eyes met the suddenly interesting-looking ceiling as I flipped my hair out of my eyes, “Ghirahim, I already knew all of that. What else do you like?”  
  
“Foreplay.” Ghirahim mutters dully, making his way up my neck.  
  
His lips tickled and I squirmed, “Anything else that doesn’t involve sexual interaction?” It was starting to become difficult to focus on the ceiling, rather than my neck, or the way his palms massaged the backs of my knees.  
  
“Nothing that would interest you, as of right now.” Ghirahim’s lips trailed up, over my jaw and to my temple, obscuring my view of the ceiling. Insufferable demon.  
  
“Who made you the judge of that?” My thoughts were starting to wane from what was considered sane, wobbling off that thin tightrope I had so far managed to stay balanced on. Anymore and I would push away, I promised myself.   
  
“Myself, of course,” Ghirahim let out a low chuckle, hands leaving my legs and traveling to the small of my back. My brain focused immediately on the way his fingers seemed to draw shapes on my back, my spine letting out a shudder at the attention. That, coupled with the feel of Ghirahim’s breath on my ear, made it extremely hard to find any sort of reason why I should push him away.  
  
“Ghirahim, stop, please.” I tried my hardest to sound stern, but even before the words left my lips I already knew that they wouldn’t. “I’m tired from the past couple of days.”  
  
The roll of his eyes was practically audible, a long and warm tongue tracing the shell of my ear. “You’ll sleep better after sex.” Ghirahim’s palms pushed me forward, farther onto his lap. He pulled away from my ear, choosing to stare at me head on. “I’ve been more patient than I usually am, Fallon.”  
  
My eyes took in his face- the dark brown eyes that made me blush with the emotion found there, the slightly rustled silk-like hair, the mouth poised to strike at any moment, but also the contours and angles of his jaw and cheekbones were almost, but not quite, delicate. Yes, he had been very patient. I sighed quietly, hands dropping to rest against his built chest.   
  
I lowered my eyes for a quick moment, as if to find words that fit, before I met his eyes again, “If you aren’t gentle, no sex for a month.”   
  
The demon’s response was slow, the words slowly falling into place as he smiled, “Oh, I’ll have to be extra gentle then.”  
  
~*~  
  
Before Ghirahim got any farther, though, the door burst open for a servant to rush in. It was in that moment that I was very sure the servant would be killed later, for the servant immediately balked at the sight of his master over his mistress in bed.  
  
Practically feeling the anger oozing from the pores of Ghirahim’s skin, I sighed. So much for sex. Grabbing the sheets from the bed and sliding myself out from under the demon that looked ready to kill the poor underling, I threw them around myself and dragged my hand through my hair.  
  
“What exactly did you come in here for?” I placed my hand on Ghirahim’s shoulder, attempting to calm him down before he blew up the whole castle. Glancing down at him, I threw a corner of the sheets over his bare lap to maintain some semblance of dignity.  
  
With wide eyes, the lupine demon jumps and begins to bark out, “The Spirit Maiden has been spotted entering the Earth Temple!”   
  
Ghirahim moves then, standing and letting the sheets fall away. Before even I could move, he had the demon pinned to the wall with his sword in hand. “And so, you decided to barge right into your master’s room, without even knocking?” The demon started to shake slightly. Ghirahim tilted his head to the side, his face hidden to me, “I ought to rip you limb from limb, you filthy hound. Now, apologize to the lady for barging in and peeking.”  
  
“Forgive me, my lady.”  
  
“Louder.” Ghirahim’s hand flashed, the demon howling as the blade of Ghirahim’s sword sunk into his shoulder.  “She can’t hear you.”  
  
“Ghirahim, stop.”  I kneeled on the bed and reached over to lay a hand on Ghirahim’s back, “It’s okay Ghirahim, it’s not like we can’t continue later.” Not sure why I was keeping him from further hurting another demon, I stood with the sheet wrapped closely around me, “Let the messenger go.”  
  
Ghirahim whipped his head around, eyes narrowed in anger as he met mine. “No, I don’t think I shall.” To make a point, the blade twisted in his hand, the demon’s face scrunching in pain.  
  
Sighing slightly, I pushed my lips onto his, keeping his chin captive in my hand. I didn’t stop kissing him until I felt his shoulders drop, and then I pulled away to say, “Everything is okay, Ghirahim. I’m not going to run away. We can take care of business, and no matter what happens, there will be time afterwards.”  
  
Letting out am angered breath, Ghirahim ripped the sword from the demon’s shoulder. Smoothing back his hair and straightening his shoulders, he spoke to the messenger in a short and slightly even voice, “Tell those in the Earth Temple to capture her, and to not let her out of their sights under any circumstances, understood?” He let the demon fall to his knees before scuttling towards the door.  
  
“Of course, Master, I will see to it that everything goes as planned.” With that, he ran out of the room as if it was full of poisonous snakes, which actually wasn’t far off from the truth.  
  
As soon as the demon left he whirled on me, crushing his frame against my own as we kissed. Ghirahim was trying to get us back in the mood, but it just wasn’t going to work.  
  
I sighed, patting his chest so he would move away, “Enough Ghirahim. Later.”  
  
“No, now.” Ghirahim growled, pushing me onto the bed and crawling on top, ripping the sheet from my body.  
  
My heart stopped for a moment, not believing what Ghirahim was trying to pull. “Ghirahim!” My eyebrows creased, “You’re going to hurt me!”  
  
“I think I’ve been more than patient, Fallon,” Ghirahim snarled. He pulled me against him, and I felt him once again at my entrance.  
  
It was then I panicked, refusing to scream though, because I knew no one would help me. I threw myself around, trying to get away. Ghirahim’s hand took a hold of my wrists though, pressing them into the mattress above me. I was a fool, to think he would really be gentle. I was going to be raped, and there was just about nothing I could do at this point.  
  
I let loose a shuddering sigh, closing my eyes and turning my head. I didn’t want to see him. I wanted to be home, where I was seen as a person, where there were people who genuinely cared for me. I bit my lip, trying to not cry out in pain from my wrists and below.   
  
“Liar.” I whispered, “You goddess-damned liar.”  
  
The demon paused, still not fully inside of me, “You’re an idiot to believe a demon.” He didn’t move though, and I felt my wrists being released from his hand. A hand touched my cheek and I flinched away, not seeing the hurt reflected in his face. A sigh left his lips, and slowly I felt him pull away. “Get dressed, we’re going to the Earth Temple.”  
  
I sat up, shaking, just as the door closed behind Ghirahim. Dragging a hand through my hair, I took a shaky breath. That had been too close. I wiped a few tears from my eyes, trying to keep my eyes from reddening. I picked up my clothes from the floor, mechanically pulling them on. I needed my knight uniform though, and so I left the room to see Ghirahim standing outside, leaning on the wall.  
  
He looked up as I exited, taking in my face for a moment, but he didn’t say anything. I shouldn’t have expected anything less from the Demon Lord.  
  
I began walking to the library, noticing Ghirahim following me wordlessly. I honestly could have cared less at this point, I was so angry at not only him but myself. It hurt slightly, but luckily Ghirahim had not gone all the way. I turned instinctually, feeling my anger mount. I had trusted him, and I was so stupid to believe him. I had every reason not to; mainly that he killed me before. I was beginning to have doubts again, but I could have never foreseen what Ghirahim just attempted. Sighing, I opened the door to the library and walked in.  
  
Ghirahim caught the door, holding it to slip inside. “Look, Fallon-“  
  
At those two words, I let my rage unleash itself. I turned to look him in the eye, making him flinch for a moment. “Don’t you dare, Ghirahim. Don’t you dare go ‘I’m sorry I tried to rape you even though I promised to never hurt you but you shouldn’t trust me because I’m a demon.’” I scooped up my uniform marching right back to him, “Because I know for a fact that you can choose to be a gentleman. You do not have to conform to what you think a demon should be like. By that logic, every human should be good and let me tell you, they aren’t. So don’t you play that crap with me, cause I already know I shouldn’t trust you as far as I can throw you.” I poked his chest, “If you really want to be able to get past my ancestress, then you have to work at it. I’m not going to hand myself over to you on a silver platter.”  
  
Ghirahim’s face twists in a mixture of anger and regret, “Damn woman, don’t you think I know that? I was going to apologize, because I know when I am out of line. But, you know what, I’m not. Because you now believe that you have the right to lecture me, a demon older than you can imagine, on how I should behave? You need to realize your boundaries as well, Fallon, because you have far out stepped them.” He crosses his arms.  
  
My mouth dropped open and I blinked for a moment. I felt my face heat up, and after a moment of silent contemplation I sighed, “You’re right. I am out of bounds and I am sorry for not letting you say your piece before rambling on. I’m just… tense.”  
  
Stepping closer, Ghirahim pulled a piece of my hair behind my ear, tilting my face to look up at him, “If I ever try to do something like that again, you have my full permission to punch me.” His eyes were softer now. “Why don’t you get in your uniform, and meet me outside the room?”  
  
I nodded, giving him a shaky smile. I had to think about what he said, and as he left the room I shook my head. If there is ever a next time he tries to rape me, I won’t just punch him. No, I’d leave and force myself to forget about him. I cannot get stuck up on an abusive relationship, like many of the women who had visited me as a priestess. I would not become weak.  
  
I couldn’t, not if I wanted to save my students.


	16. Earth Temple - Kallen Part III

What Ghirahim had not told me when getting ready to leave was where the Earth Temple was, and so I was unprepared for the wall of heat that hit me as we teleported there. As Ghirahim let go of my waist I gasped, immediately missing the wind and sky that would cool off my now sweating body.  
  
“Where is this place?” I looked at him wide-eyed, not surprised when the demon showed no sign of discomfort.  
  
Glancing over, Ghirahim barely moved his lips as he replied, “This is the land the humans called the Eldin Provence, specifically Eldin volcano. Your ancestress grew up not a half a day’s ride from here.”  
  
“Which direction?” I felt breathless at the thought of my home being so close. I turned, trying to remember where the volcano was in relation to the Rent village.   
  
“Doesn’t matter. Anything that would have survived the years has been swallowed up by the volcano.” Ghirahim began moving forward, eyes focused on the peak.  
  
“Oh,” throwing one last glance over my shoulder I walked behind him, feeling a tight constriction in my chest.   
  
As we made our down the volcano, we passed into a campsite full of bokoblins scurrying around and grabbing their weapons. All appeared to be chaos and as soon as Ghirahim stepped inside the site they froze. A sense of fear permeated the atmosphere as what appeared to be the commander of the camp stepped forward, the helmet on his head shaking as he spoke in demon to Ghirahim.  
  
Ghirahim tensed up, voice booming out in demon as he strode forward, eyes focused on the bokoblin in front of him.  
  
Something was wrong, which either means that Zelda got away or something even worse happened. In each case, it was dangerous to be around Ghirahim.  
  
The demon lord seized the bokoblin by the strap of his sheath, raising him to his level. More words were shouted in demon, his voice ricocheting off the stone as the others quickly fell to their knees. His figure was tense, and I couldn’t see his face but I could only assume that his features were twisted in anger.  
  
All eyes were on him as he dropped the lower class demon, stepping over the cowering bokoblin to shout at the others, who rose to their feet and ran into the mouth of the cave.  
Now that the camp was empty, I took a step towards Ghirahim, “What’s-“  
  
Ghirahim glanced at me, eye hard before he teleported away, leaving only a trail of diamonds in his wake.  
  
“-wrong.” I frowned, lowering my hand to my side as I groaned. Damn that temperamental demon, was that completely necessary? Maybe he thought I would get in the way or interfere.  
  
I walked towards the entrance where the other bokoblins had run off to. Wiping my forehead of sweat, I grunted, “You’re not leaving me behind that easily.” To the side I noticed a statue dedicated to the goddess Hylia, just like the ones on Skyloft. I stepped up to it, saying a quick prayer before running into the temple.  
  
The first thing that hit me was the heat, and even after the initial wall hit me it continued to pound into me. It almost crippled me from moving forward, before I decided to get rid of my extra layer and anything I didn’t need. And so I pulled off my outermost blue tunic, looking at it longingly before tearing a strip off. With a sigh, I dropped the remaining fabric in the fire so that no one would be able to use it. With the strip I pulled my hair into a secure bun, feeling immediately better now that it was not stuck to the back of my sweat-covered neck.  
  
After I lightened my load, I looked forward. It was going to be tricky to jump some of the distances ahead of me, but I was sure that I could do it. Rolling my shoulders I set off, jumping from platform to platform. It was difficult, especially with how it felt like I was breathing in lava instead of air, but I made it across the room until there was a draw bridge in my way. I looked around for a way to lower it, spotting the mechanisms to do so.   
  
Cutting the ropes, though, only lowered the bridge partially- the last mechanism was all the way next to the draw bridge, far out of my reach. I stood for a moment, panting and looking for a way around it. Feeling a headache build up behind my forehead, I knew I was in for a long afternoon.   
  
“I might be able to jump it,” my eyes traced the height to which the bridge had dropped. I would be able to jump it, but only if I used some of my power to move faster than a human is supposed to. Rubbing my head with the heel of my hand, I shook my head for a moment before I backed up to the stairs.   
  
Grinding the toe of my foot into the ground, I took a deep breath, and sprinted. The world slowed for a moment as I flew forward, and I jumped off the ground with all the strength I could find in my legs. The world returned to normal as my hands grabbed a hold of the top of the bridge, all of my weight suddenly on my arms as I grunted. My muscles screamed as I pulled myself up and over, sliding down the incline to land at the bottom.  
  
Groaning, I spotted what could only be a Lizalfos ahead of me. Getting to my feet, I pulled my sword from my waist and my shield from my back. He spotted me, a toothy grin emerging on his snout as he charged at me. I stepped to the side, dodging past the swinging mace on the tail. We circled each other, his arm held up as a huge shield and taunting while I kept my own in front of me. Finally finding an opening, I darted forward to land a solid blow to its chest, the creature falling before me.   
  
Sheathing my sword and shield, I looked to where there used to be a path, only to find lava instead. “This is almost more trouble than it’s worth,” I mumbled, looking around for another way to get across. It looks like I would have to do a lot more jumping, using the partially decimated statue of the dragon in the middle of the lava to get to the center platform. None of the side areas interested me, I just wanted to get through this as quickly as possible in order to catch up to Ghirahim.  
  
And so I jumped, and jumped again, across the room and though the dungeon. Each time I felt my energy being drained away from me, exhausted due to the heat and the strenuous activity. That coupled with the monsters that I met in there only added to the headache I was getting. Eventually I stopped, sat down and let myself recharge. If I kept going at that pace, I would have only gotten sloppier, which could have been fatal.  
  
I was getting dehydrated, and the longer I was in here the more likely I was to get a heat stroke. And so, I got to my feet and continued on.  
  
Unfortunately, what waited for me were two steep slopes that I had to run up on, dodging the traps set up. By the time I made it to the top of both I was sore, bruised, and exhausted- all without a single heart potion. With my knees shaking I looked at the fountain of lava that blocked my path, even the door behind it was locked with a strange lock.   
  
“This is just ridiculous,” my lungs were just about ready to collapse on themselves and I could feel the muscles in my legs just about ready to give up. Not when I was so close, though, and so I steeled myself up for another long jump. “On the count of three,” I told myself, backing up once again and taking off.  
  
Against my better judgment, I made the landing. By now the muscles in my legs were definitely pulled, and each step was a pounding on my entire body. Facing the door, I stared at the weird lock for a moment, before my body gave up on itself.  
  
My knees were the first thing to go, and soon I found myself staring at the door. I reached for it dully, feeling darkness closing in on my mind. If I lost consciousness here, it was unlikely that I would ever open my eyes again. With my remaining strength I licked my dry lips and pounded on the door.  
  
As my head hit the ground and my eyes closed, I heard a sound similar to when Ghirahim teleports,  and as I felt myself being lifted up I could faintly hear someone going, “Stupid and stubborn. The hell am I going to do with you?” I seem to remember smiling, but that was all I could do before blacking out completely.  
  
  
  
  
  
Link had grown strong, remastering the sword within months of me bringing him home to the smithy. He was a good man, eager to help around when he could and surprisingly innocent. I could see why the Goddess chose him. The kids loved him, and it was always nice to have another hand around, even with the apprentice Abel had taken on being around occasionally. 

There was only one thing I had to keep from him, and that was Ghirahim.  
  
It was hard to keep the fact that I was in a relationship with the Demon Lord a secret, often going out at night to meet with him and sneaking him into my room when everyone was asleep. And even then, it wasn’t a normal relationship- it was purely physical as he said, emotions kept to the side. Could I have found someone else instead of the demon? Yes, but part of the relationship was the thrill of knowing what we were doing wasn’t right. He was an outlet for the anger I held against demons and some o f the idiot humans I had to deal with. In return for my anger, he was able to have a steady sex partner that understood and dealt with his kinks.  
  
Still, lately I was having a harder time saying to myself that it was purely physical. In a way, Ghirahim cared about me more than anyone else has since Abel died, and it confused me. There were times where I wasn’t sure what to say around him, and even our sex sessions felt different. At the same time, I felt like the way Ghirahim’s hands on me became more gentle, his words softer. Perhaps I was going insane, though.  
  
Either way, we were going to meet tonight, after everyone was soundly asleep he would come into my room. He did it the same way every time, teleporting in, placing a spell around the room so that no one could get in or hear anything that happened. At first I was apprehensive about the spells, but by now I was used to them.   
  
I felt his presence suddenly appear, but I didn’t turn around from the mirror. Silently he placed the spells, and I watched from the mirror as he walked over to me. “Ghirahim…”  
  
Muscled arms wrapped around me, Ghirahim bringing me against him as he nuzzled at my neck. His hands began to touch and caress, the special sort of softness that I had recently noticed in his fingertips as he guided my face to look at him. “What is the matter?”  
  
I turned in his arms, “Nothing is.” Smiling, I brought him in, pushing the strange thoughts away. It’s only physical. Nothing matters outside of satisfying each other in this manner.  
  
As usual, he was a harsh lover, and I knew there would be bruises in the morning that would luckily be covered. I didn’t mind, it allowed me to not think, or perhaps a better word was that I could not think. Either way, by the time we were done we both felt at our limits and satiated.  
  
However, Ghirahim normally left right after. This time he lay besides me, holding me close to his chest while the sweat on our skin cooled off. I wasn’t sure what to think now, but it had been so long since I had been held like this that it didn’t matter.  
  
That is, until Ghirahim spoke, “I’ve spoken to my Master. We’re planning a final assault in three months.” My body turned cold, but he went on. “I told him about you. He wasn’t surprised, actually, he seemed amused.”  
  
I sat up, pulling hair away from my face as I looked down at him. “What?” I wasn’t sure what I was more scared of, the final wave or the Demon King knowing of our relationship. “Why’d you tell him?” We both promised to not talk about this sort of stuff, just because it could interfere or be used against each other.  
  
Rolling onto his back, Ghirahim stared at me, “Because, it appears that I have grown… attached. To you, I mean. And seeing as how I’m getting almost a little too attached, I felt the need to ask my Master if we could perhaps spare you.” Reaching up, Ghirahim pulled a chunk of hair to fall over my chest, staring at the way it draped. “He agreed to what I asked of him, so you - and your family - are now safe from my armies.”  
  
Closing my eyes, I place my head in my hands. “Goddesses, Ghirahim.” I didn’t know how to feel. Was I relieved? Yes. Was I happy? In a way I was. Was I angry? Oh, hell yes. “Ghirahim, what am I supposed to do? This is all assuming you win. What if, against what you may think, we win? Ghirahim, I can’t provide the same treatment for you. The most I could do is keep you from being sealed away completely.”  
  
Ghirahim rose slightly, “What do you mean, of course we’ll win. And if that’s such a problem, just join our side.” He pulled a hand away from my face, brushing the hair out of my eyes.  
  
“I would never in a million years switch sides, Ghirahim. It would be like me asking you to fight for the humans.” My eyes met his. “What even brought this on? Wasn’t this supposed to be purely physical- isn’t that what you’ve said yourself?”  
  
Growling, Ghirahim pulled me on top of him, “It stopped being physical long ago, at least to me. I want you happy and safe, but most of all I want you to be next to me. And I will slay a thousand of your Goddess’s best knights to do so.”  
  
The breath left my lungs, “Ghirahim, there’s no way it’s going to work. We both agreed that we wouldn’t talk about this, and that it would be physical just for this reason.”

Brow furrowing, Ghirahim sat up, “So you do not care about me?”  
  
“Goddess,” I whispered, resting my head on his shoulder and shuddering as I felt his arms wrap around me. “I shouldn’t. It’s so hard to not care, Ghirahim. But it’s far past just caring now.” Something bubbled up as the image of Ghirahim in my mind flew between now and having to fight him, and I felt my chin begin to quiver. “We’re going to have to fight each other. We may even have to kill each other. So why are we doing this to ourselves? I’ve prayed to Hylia, but for once she has not given me an answer.”  
  
“You could just not fight,” Ghirahim replies, bringing me closer. “I know it would be hard, but wouldn’t it be for the best? After all, you have children and you’re one of the last people who can read the ancient texts among your people.”  
  
I shook my head, “No, it would be far too selfish of me. Plus, Hylia has appointed me to head the final battle when it was to come.”  
  
Ghirahim was silent now, before he began to kiss my neck. “The only way I can help is by making you feel good, Kallen. I’ll get those tears off of your face, help you forget yourself long enough. We will think afterwards, but not now when we have time to ourselves.”  
  
A shaky sigh left my lips and I pulled away from his now wet shoulder. Placing a kiss on his mouth, I closed my eyes. “Please, help me, Ghirahim. I don’t want to think about anything else but you right now.”  
  
Gentle hands took a hold of my body, a honey-sweet tongue whispering to me, “As you wish, my dear.”


	17. Only One

“We are still unsure of the Spirit Maiden’s location, my Lord.” The demon prostrated before me as I sprawled across my chair, dagger in hand as I cleaned my nails. “Last we saw, she was making her way across Lanayru Desert with the servant of the Goddess.”  
  
A sigh left my lips as annoyance further bubbled inside of me, coming out in the form of a snarl across my face, “Then find her you idiot. Every moment you cretins fail to find her is another chance we lose to revive the King. It has been an entire day since you last saw her. How hard is it to find one damned girl?!” My body sprung from the chair, beginning to circle the guard. “If you do not locate her within the next three days, you will have to answer for your lack of ability to find one small girl. Then again, she may already be dead by the time the three days are up, so make that two. Pass this on to everyone in the Lanayru Province.”  
  
The bokoblin began to subtly shake, “Yes, my Lord.”  
  
“And to give you a little more motivation-“ I raised the dagger in my hand, fully intending to cut off an ear when the door burst open with a crash. My attention fell on the newest bokoblin, face pale and lips quivering. He seemed to be rather scared, with a black eye beginning to form and clothes ripped.  
  
“My Lord, your mistress has gone mad!”  
  
The dagger in my hand stilled, and after a moment’s hesitation it disappeared. “What seems to be the problem?” I frowned, thinking it strange that Fallon would have fallen asleep for a day without waking. Perhaps it was stress, or sickness. I heard that does bad things to a human’s body.  
  
“Ple… Please come, quick! She’s tearing apart the room!” The bokoblin flinched, and I heard a loud crashing sound from somewhere in the castle.  
  
“Go. I will see to her.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose, steeling myself for a moment as I whispered under my breath, “Must I do everything myself?” Looking to the other bokoblin at my feet, I kicked him roughly before ordering, “Off with you.”  
  
Teleporting into the room I had left Fallon in, I was not surprised to see that the bokoblin had told the truth. The entire room was turned over, and in the center of it all was Fallon. Clad only in a sheet, no less, as she shook uncontrollably.  
  
Taking a step forward, I cried out, “What the hell is happening here?”  
  
Flinching, Fallon turned to me with wide eyes brimming with tears. Upon seeing me, she ran into my chest, grabbing my face and pulling it down into a hard kiss.  
  
I was surprised, to say the least, and so when she pulled away to continue placing kisses on my face I pulled her into my arms. “Not that I am not happy with your greeting, but what is wrong?”  
  
Tears were streaming down her face, “I thought I was dead. How am I not dead? Is this hell? Who won?” Words were bumbling out of her lips, her fingers shaking as they curled into my jumpsuit.  
  
“You’re not dead. I brought you here before you could die, since I’m not about to let you do so anytime soon, dear.” My brow furrowed as I smoothed down her hair, confusion once again a feeling I was getting used to by now in regards to Fallon.  
  
Her eyes widened, “Are the children safe? What happened to them?”  
  
Wiping away some of the tears, I tried to keep my voice level and far from angry as I replied, “Both got away.”  
  
“Thank the Goddess.” Her body immediately relaxed, however, Fallon still showed signs of distress on her face. “But… how did you heal the stab wound? I don’t see any mark left at all.”  
  
“Come again? I saw no stab wound.” I held her at arm’s length, looking over her naked body to see no blemish at all. I was thorough when we returned to heal all of the wounds, but perhaps I missed one? Doubtful, but it could happen. No one was perfect, even if I was close to it.  
  
“You don’t remember? It was right… here…” Fallon’s hand paused over her lower ribcage, her face shrouded from me by her hair. She was quiet for a moment, before explaining herself. “It must have been a dream.” Her voice was quiet, scared. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not, the sound of her being scared. It was almost too much like a certain woman.   
  
“Do you often have dreams that make you destroy a room?”  
  
“No!” Fallon’s eyes met mine, “I don’t.” Her lips were pulled down, hands twisting in my jumpsuit, with a pale look to her face. “Never. Ghirahim, I just don’t know what to think right now.”  
  
“Then don’t think.” My hands traced down from her shoulders, taking a hold of her elbows. I had never realized how tan Fallon was compared to my own skin, a healthy tan in human terms.  
  
A sigh left her lips as the corner of her eyes crinkled, “It’s not as easy as that. I can’t just stop thinking.”  
  
Smiling, I brought her face close to mine, “Then I’ll just have to help, won’t I?” I waited for a verbal response from her, and when the only reaction that seemed to take hold of her was to bit her lip I took it for neither a no nor a yes. And so, I kissed those lips of hers, bringing her closer so that I could feel the warmth radiating from her skin.  
  
There was a hesitation in her reaction, but after her slight pause Fallon had no problems in kissing back, her hand running deliciously through my hair as she pulled me even closer. As she pulled away, she bit my lower lip playfully, those smoldering purple eyes of hers hidden by her lashes. Taking me by the hand, Fallon pulled me over the sheets on the floor to the bare mattress, all with a smile. By now, I was feeling just a little suspicious of her forwardness, but I was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. I was drawn over her, Fallon’s nimble hands beginning to outline the shapes of the muscles on my chest.  
  
I shivered, licking my lips as I let her take control. She really was quite brazen for a virgin, not that anyone would have guessed she was with how godly her hands were on me. “I never would have expected this of you, Fallon.”  
  
She froze, her shoulders becoming stiff and a look of slight but horrified revelation appearing on her face. “I think… I’m going to be sick.”  
  
Blinking, my excitement withered away as I pushed away from her, “Excuse me?” Did she find me repulsive? Though I sincerely doubt it, between my looks and the way she responded to me.  
  
A hand rose to cover her mouth, “I think I’m going to vomit, and if you don’t want me to do it all over the mattress I suggest getting me to the nearest toilet.” With that, Fallon pressed her lips together, still holding the covers around her.  
  
Standing, I lifted her quickly in my arms. No way was I about to have her vomit all over the mattress we would later romp around on. The thought made my own stomach turn violently, and so rather than running I teleported there.   
  
Immediately Fallon pushed herself away from me, hugging the bowl as her body convulsed. After she was done emptying her stomach, she refused to look at me, using the sheet to wipe her face.  
  
“Do you normally get sick while giving your lover a handjob?”   
  
She flinched, shoulders tightening in on herself. “I must return to the Sky.” Her voice was hoarse, almost as if Fallon had been screaming for hours.  
  
All time stopped for a moment, and as I stared at the back of her head I felt anger mounting. “You what?”   
  
  
  
  
I flinched again, my hands starting to shake at the rage coating his words. Licking my lips, I lied, “Whenever something bad is going to happen, I get sick. Only then.”   
 _Get away, I have to get away!_  My entire body was shaking now, now that I truly realized what had happened.  _I’m not Kallen! I died! Nothing is as it was! We were not fully lovers in this life- and I couldn’t in this one, not if I wanted to keep my life!_  
  
“I still do not see why you have to… return to the Sky.” The demon was trying his best to be patient, but I knew better than to wait for that.  
  
“Where are my things?”  
  
“I’m not going to tell you. Not unless you give me a reason why I should let you out of my hands,” He grabbed my shoulder, spinning me around to face him. His eyes widened though, as he took in my face. After a moment, his brow furrowed and he cupped my face, his hands cold against my sweaty and tear-stained cheeks. “Why are you crying? Do you truly feel revolted by me?”  
  
Trying to blink away the tears as I stared at the hurt and anger in his eyes, I replied, “I’m scared of what you’re capable of… and what could happen to me if we get further involved.” Flashes of my death ran through my head, causing me to quiver even as I took a hold of one of his hands, pressing it hard to my skin, “Nothing good has ever come of relationships between mortals and demons.”  
  
The demon was still for a moment, hand curling around mine, “As long as we care for each other, we can make it work.” His voice was tight, lacing anger and sadness together with thin patience as the string.  
  
Ah, something I had told him as Kallen. I never thought he actually listened to me. I smiled, even though I felt like bursting into more tears right then and there. “I know how it works, Ghirahim. I know that it will only work as long as our goals keep us from going against each other. I have no idea what your plans are, and you have no idea about mine. Eventually, we’re going to find ourselves pointing swords at each other. So, why even bother? It hurts, but it will hurt less than if we had to kill one another. I don’t want you to have to potentially cause the death of another lover- because I know this body is not capable of holding its own against you when you’re serious, and you would do anything the Demon King asked you to do.”   
  
He swallowed, “So, the ‘bad thing’ you mentioned earlier… do you believe it to be..?”  
  
I didn’t answer for a while, feeling Ghirahim’s eyes grow heavy on me as I looked at the floor, “I don’t know. But I need space to think… think if a couple weeks of happiness is worth years of pain.”  
  
Ghirahim lowered his own eyes to the floor, his hands leaving me to rest his head in them. “Your room, bottom drawer of the chest.” He grabbed my wrist as I rose from the ground, looking at me again, brows furrowed. “One thing, though. Will you ever likely find someone again?”  
  
Blinking, the final tears left my eyes, “No… I don’t think so.” Who else was there? Truly, how could I knowing what I knew?  
  
A bitter smile crossed his face, standing over me, “Then allow me just one small thing.” Bending down, he brushed my hair to the side before hiding his face in the crook of my neck. I held still, not quite sure what he was doing until I felt him bite down. A yelp escaped my lips as Ghirahim bit hard enough to draw blood and pulled away, licking at the blood that fell down my shoulder. “So that other’s know you’re not available.” A real smirk rose to his face as he looked at the bite, as if praising his work.  
  
“It’ll heal, Ghirahim.” I actually smiled, behind watery eyes at least.  
  
“The memory will remain, however,” Ghirahim shrugged, adding with danger in his eyes, “You should go. I may just change my mind, after seeing you like that.”  
  
I looked at him for a moment, fighting the urge to kiss him goodbye. It was only until I was reminded that this was the demon that caused my death that I turned away, running to the room. Throwing aside the sheet, I hurriedly pulled out what remained of my clothes- the undershirt, breeches, boots, and adventure packs. Checking my packs for my Sailcloth, I threw on the clothes and once again ran, twisting around staircases to the entrance of the castle. Ignoring the surprised bokoblins, I pushed the giant doors open and ran through the forest surrounding them.  
  
Relying on an internal map from thousands of years ago, I somehow was able to make it back to Faron Woods. Thankfully, I was easily able to find one of the statues that resembled a Loftwing. Hoping it would work, I lifted my Sailcloth. As the fabric filled with air and my feet quickly left the ground, I felt my heart race. I was going home!  
  
My hands hurt from how tightly I gripped the Sailcloth as I flew above the forest and through the clouds, the air leaving the cloth as I spread out like an eagle. Sending out a loud whistle, I hoped that Leila would be able to catch me before I fell through the clouds again.  
  
As sure as there was breath in my lungs, Leila swooped out of some nearby clouds, cawing loudly and racing over to me. Grabbing a hold of the reins around her neck, I pulled myself onto her back, nearly crying again from being reunited with her. Just feeling the wind as it whipped through my hair was enough of a homecoming, and I lifted my arms to embrace the sky.  
  
I flew for a while, pushing my life as Kallen to the back of my mind, fighting against it as Leila and I looped and twirled through the air. But Kallen would not be so easily tamed, and after a while Leila caught my foul mood, starting to fly closer to Skyloft.  
  
“Fallon! Is that really you?”  
  
Turning my head, I caught sight of Owlan on his own Loftwing. Smiling slightly, I waved, “Hello, Owlan.” I signed for him to land on top of the Academy, as I was far too tired to yell from our Loftwings.  
  
We landed, Owlan rushing over as I preened some of Leila’s feathers, pulling a few loose ones from her crown. “Hylia above, where have you been? Are you alright?”  
  
The situation quickly caught up with me from earlier, and I sighed, “I was so hoping to not think for a while. I was on the Surface, doing my best to keep Hy- Zelda safe. I was finally able to slip away, thank the goddess.”  
  
“Slip away? What did you have to slip away from?” Owlan’s face scrunched up as he surveyed me from head to toe. “You look like you haven’t slept well for weeks.”  
  
Pulling another loose feather from Leila’s neck, I glanced at Owlan, “I think it would be best if we gathered everyone who needs to hear what I have to say. You do that, I’m going to get fresh clothes, and I’ll meet you in Gaepora’s office.”  
  
“If you say so, cousin.” Owlan’s lips dipped into a frown, “Don’t push yourself for our sakes, okay?”  
  
Turning, I looked at him straight in the eye, “I cannot not push myself. Not when my students are in danger.”  
  
His eyes widened slightly, “Very well, then. I will gather Horwell and Eagus.” Owlan rushed off, leaving me to myself.  
  
Making my way to my room, it felt odd that I had lived here the past decade of my life. Last that part of me remembered was living in a dirty tent in the middle of a war. Perhaps if I had remembered as soon as I was born, so that it was merely a continuation off of my memories, I would not be having the amount of trouble coping as I was now. Reaching my bed, I collapsed for a moment, feeling the now familiar sense of panic wash over me now that I realized I had died.  
  
I needed to stop differentiating between me now and me then. There had to be only me. Breathing deeply, I dozed for a moment, trying to accept Kallen and Fallon as being one. I still had no idea what to tell people to call me. Maybe both. I was both, after all- no. I was one. They are one thing. I am one thing. Not two separate things. One life, not two. As I slept lightly, I felt these thoughts consume me.  
  
Finally opening my eyes, I breathed out. I needed to be one person, and so one person I was. I stood, finally noticing some of the acute differences and getting used to them. I was taller now, with smaller breasts and wider hips. My feet were larger as well, the few steps I took clumsy as I readjusted to my body. How had I managed these past twenty four years? I got back into the habit of quickly unbuckling my belt, dragging the ruined black undershirt off and throwing on a simple black blouse that tied at the top, replacing my underwear and trading the breaches for black hose. I was wearing all black, but I saw no problem with that as I pulled my black riding boots back on and strapping the belt back onto my hips. I’d have to find new armor, as I knew I would have to go back down.  
  
There was no denying my involvement with what was going on. It was partly my fault for leaving the job half done and not killing Demise when I was able to. Now, I had not only no magic sword but no magic of my own. Thinking hard for a moment, I was able to channel some of the power that was granted to me as Kallen, but it was too weak to do anything except create some light. This body was also slower, but naturally stronger. I stretched, doing a quick back bend to retest my flexibility. At least I still had that.  
  
Rolling my shoulders, I set out for Headmaster Gaepora’s office. I knocked, waiting until I heard a reply to open. Owlan has already gathered the others, Horwell and Eagus turning to me with worried smiles. Holding up a hand, I said before anyone could say anything, “Yes, I’m okay. Zelda is safe, for the moment. I haven’t seen Link since a couple of days ago, however.”  
  
“I’m right here,” came a voice from behind me. Link was at the door, looking about as tired as I felt.  
  
A smile spread against my will as I grabbed a hold of him, hugging him close, “Thank the goddess. You were the one I was really worried about.”  
  
He hugged me back hard, “What are you talking about, I’m your student, remember?”  
  
“Damn right,” I muttered and pulled away. “You need to hear this too, Link.”  
  
“What is it, Fallon?” Gaepora stepped forward, “Is it news about Zelda?”  
  
“She’s safe,” Link sighed. “But she can’t come back right now.”  
  
“Why?” Gaepora’s tone took on a note of harshness. “What do you mean by that?”  
  
Sighing as well, I held up my hands, “I think we should all start from the beginning, to thousands of years ago. Years before the creation of Skyloft.”  
  
“Are you talking about the Demon Wars?” Gaepora lifted his eyebrows, tugging at his beard. “Why talk about that?”  
  
“Because that is where this starts. Take a seat, everyone, I will try to make this as brief as possible.” I rubbed my temples, grabbing a seat for myself. “It began long ago when two gods…” I allowed myself to run on, giving an account of the Demon Wars that was not written in the history books. They all gave me questioning looks, but I ignored them. I told them everything that I knew about the Demon King Demise, the Hero Link, the Goddess Hylia, and the Demon Lord Ghirahim.  
  
Shocked, to say the least, they all fell back in their chairs. Gaepora was the first to speak up, “How do you know all of this?”  
  
A bittersweet smile crossed my face, “Because I am Kallen, Paladin of the Goddess Hylia and Demon Lord Ghirahim’s Lover, the one I mentioned in the story.”  
  
“Reincarnation,” Link breathed, looking at his hands. “So then, I’m the reincarnation of the one who originally sealed the Demon King?”  
  
I nodded, “I suspect you to be. Although why you have no memory of it, I have no idea. You may eventually remember, but it’s hard on the mind and emotions. I’ve only just recently accepted all of it.”  
  
“So, are we all just going to ignore the fact that you were the lover of the one who’s after my daughter?” Gaepora sounded confused, not accusatory.  
  
“There were outlying circumstances, and it’s not ‘were,’ I still am.” I replied, brushing it off. “He, of course, does not know that I am Kallen. I intend to keep it that way.”  
  
Owlan opened his mouth several times before he finally said anything, “This is all very confusing, but it makes sense.”  
  
“I daresay it does,” I shrugged. “Now, anymore questions?”  
  
“I have a couple, but I don’t want to take up the other instructors’ time. Can I ask you privately?” Link looked at me with pleading eyes.  
  
Smiling, I replied, “Of course, Link.”  
  
“In that case, good luck to both of you. I know between the two of you, Zelda will definitely be safe.” Gaepora and the others stood, ushering themselves out.  
  
Link followed me as I walked out of the Academy, to the area outside of the practice hall. Stopping there, he held out a broken piece of a tablet. “This is where Zelda will be next, where the next portal down to the Surface will open. Where is it?”  
  
Taking it, I studied the bits of ancient Hylian on the edges. “This is the Lanaryu Desert, though it was the Lanayru Sea thousands of years ago.”  
  
Nodding, Link accepted the tablet back. “Are you going to return to that Demon Lord’s side once you’re rested?”  
  
Half-smiling, I scratched the back of my neck. “I don’t think so. Last time I decided to pursue a relationship with him, I ended up dead. Though that doesn’t make that much of a difference, now that I think about it. But, it’s better to stay away. Would you like me to accompany you? I’m sure things would be easier with an extra hand around.”  
  
A smile burst onto his face, “That would be great, Instructor Fallon!”  
  
I chuckled, “Just Fallon or Kallen is fine.”  
  
He nodded, “Okay then, Fallon. I’m going to go restock on potions, but I’m planning on leaving tomorrow.”  
  
I nodded in reply, “I’ll meet you there then.” I watched as Link walked off, shoulders broader than I remember them being.  
  
 _He’s turning into his old self._  
  
Sighing, I looked to the sky. “Now… to find some armor.”


	18. Armored Again

“Sorry, can’t help you with that. I can make chain mail, but no one has had enough experience to make a full set of plate armor for four hundred years,” Gondo apologized, shaking his head.  
  
Sighing, I pushed away from the counter where Gondo was working, “Thanks anyways.” Walking away, I groaned lightly. Of course no one would know how to make plate armor; Skyloft had no need for it!  
  
Pausing, I pulled the hair from my face. Well, for what I was going to have to do, I would definitely need more than just some chain mail. I could do with just the chain mail, but only if it came down to it. My hand rested over my ribcage. I swore I could still feel the blade there at time. If Demise could easily stab me with full plate armor on – armor made by a god nevertheless – then any chain mail I made during my years in Skyloft wouldn’t stand a chance. We were trying to prevent Demise being released, but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t prepare for the worse.  
  
While I was at it, I also needed a shield. Looking at the Gear Shop, I made the unfortunate mistake of catching Rupin’s eyes. The man now looked at me expectantly, a fake smile on his face that he reserved for when he thought he had a customer. Groaning, I made my way to stand by his shields.  
  
“What kind of shields do you have?” My voice was practically dead sounding, and I wanted nothing to do with this money-grabber.  
  
His eyes lit up, immediately rattling off the properties of the three shields he had to sell. “Unfortunately, if you want a more durable shield, you would have to get it upgraded by the man at the Scrap Shop.”  
  
I looked at him in a dead pan. Once again, he was overcharging his wares. Too tired to argue with the man, though, I paid for the basic iron shield. No way was I about to pay five times more for a shield, even if it was one that repaired itself. I could do that myself, if need be. That and I knew how to actually use a shield and not to have it break after being hit five times. Slinging it onto my back, I felt the familiar weight settle between my shoulder blades.  
  
“Pardon me asking, but I don’t remember you being overly fond of shields in the past. What has changed your mind?” Rupin dropped his forced smile, instead looking curious.  
  
I paused, before shrugging, “I needed a new shield. The old one broke.” I left after that, pausing once again to buy some health potion that I could enhance on my own later. At that point, the sky was starting to gain a rust-like color. Twilight was coming near, and I figured I would visit the statue of Hylia before retiring for the night.  
  
A sense of odd nostalgia entered me as I climbed the steps, realizing that the statue was once a part of the temple I had been in charge of. The temple itself was gone, the only indication of there being a previous building found in the crumbling walls and the columns that stood by themselves. Walking up to the statue, I was surprised to see a doorway at Hylia’s feet. That had never been there before.  
  
Cautiously I walked through the doorway, finding myself in a secret chamber. Entering into the room further, I realized that this must have been where Hylia had kept the Master Sword for all these years. Toeing the pedestal where the sword had been, I glanced up to see Hylia’s Crest above stone above broken stone tablets pieced together to create a map of  the Surface. Walking up the steps, I traced my hands over the tablet, realizing that Link had the one part earlier that day. My hand briefly reached up, touching the crest.  
  
The crest sparkled to life, forcing me to stand back as the pedestal it and the tablet rested upon began to move.  Slowly, it moved up, revealing just what I had needed.  
  
Holding back tears, I walked back up to the armor I had died in, feeling it solidly in my hands. The puncture mark over the chest plate was gone, seamlessly repaired along with all the other scratches and dents. Even the banner that had been practically destroyed looked good as new.  
  
I drifted back in time within me, my hands silently taking the armor and buckling it into place.  
  
 _Looking at us with bronze eyes, he greeted us, “Good morning, newlyweds. I am Heli, a messenger sent by the goddess Hylia in order to properly congratulate the two of you on your wedding day.” Long hair, the color of almost-dried blood, was plaited, with what looked like bronze adornments slithering up the braids. His skin was a pale red, and we was incredibly tall, with muscles large enough to rival even Abel’s.  
  
Speaking up, I nodded gracefully, “Thank you, messenger of Hylia, the sentiments of the goddess have truly been shown in how much she showers me with gifts.”  
  
Face emotionless, Heli stepped aside, what was floating behind him coming to rest in front of us, “Gifts, from the goddess.” Flicking his hand, the cloth covering the large objects flew into his hand. “For the husband and greatest blacksmith found in Hyrule, a set of tools that was once used by the Blacksmith god himself.” His lips twitched at that, before returning to a straight face and continued, “And for her chosen paladin, a set of armor created by the Blacksmith god.”  
  
Abel was still frozen, until I tugged him forward so that we may accept the gifts. I looked upon the armor in awe, surprised by the craftsmanship. Not even Abel could compare to it. The soft golden color matched the cape that snapped into the front plate. A banner with Hylia’s crest on it hung loosely, tucked into a belt with chains attached to it. A golden sash added more color. Overall, the armor appeared feminine, a hard thing to do with armor. It was perfect._  
  
Waking up from the memory, I looked back to where the armor had lain in wait for the past thousands of years. Blinking, I realized that there was writing on it, and I bent closer to read it.  
  
In ancient Hylian it read,  
  
 _My love, though you may not remember me when you next don this armor, know that it was I, who with the help of the Blacksmith God, mended your armor. I know we will not be able to meet until next we are reborn together, but even so I hope I may see you here. I pray that time will come soon, so that our family may be together again.  
Eternally yours, even if you are not eternally mine,  
Abel Lumiar_  
  
The tears I had previously been able to hold back flowed freely now. No doubt some divine being had placed this here for me, but I couldn’t help but trace the words. Guilt ate away through my being, despite the fact that the wound from my husband’s passing had healed long ago. He knew about the affair with Ghirahim, yet he forgave me.  
  
Slowly, the pedestal descended so that the writing was gone. I stood from where I had fallen to my knees, hurriedly wiping away the water in my eyes. Sniffling slightly, I made my way to the Academy in the dark.  
  
I tried to sneak in without anyone spotting me, but it seemed that luck had not been on my side as of late. As I walked through the upper doors, unlocking it with my key, Horwell spotted me. He paused in the doorway to his room, before closing the door. As I reached my own door he walked up to me, obviously wanting to talk. With a sigh, I let go of the doorknob and turned back to him.  
  
“What is it, Horwell?”  
  
Horwell looked uncomfortable for a moment, before he quickly said, “Did you know about all of this when we were engaged?”  
  
A blink followed his statement, before I sighed again. “No, I regained my memories only a couple of days ago.”  
  
“So, you weren’t just stringing me along?” Horwell looked concerned, but relieved.  
  
Furrowing my brows, I looked at him sharply, “Do you really think I would do that?”  
  
“No, no I don’t.” He replied softly, glancing down. “You’ve changed, though.”  
  
“How could I not?” I was getting short with him, only wanting to sleep and prepare myself for tomorrow. “I woke up realizing that someone I cared about killed me, and that everything I did thousands of years ago may be undone. That alone would change most, Horwell.”  
  
“But you’re still going to return to the Demon Lord’s side?” Horwell grabbed my shoulder, but the look he gave me was purely the look given to a close friend.  
  
I paused at this, the events of the morning running through my head. I had panicked, afraid of what could have happened. Really, there was no way to avoid the fact that I still loved him, so why did I even run away? “Perhaps. However, Link and Zelda’s safety is my primary task. I may not return to him immediately, but I will go back to him.”  
  
Horwell nodded, “Please be safe. Everyone at the Academy would be sad if something happened to you.”  
  
I smiled, gently patting Horwell’s hand on my shoulder before pushing it off, “I’ll do what I can. Goodnight, Horwell.”  
  
Smiling in return, Horwell bid me a good night and went to his room. I entered my own room, unbuckling the armor and preparing a pile for me to take tomorrow. Judging the fact that we were heading to a desert, I made sure to bring two waterskins for Link and I, as well as a potion that would keep the sun from burning us. Armor would be a pain in the ass with all the sand and it would get unbearably hot in it as well, so I grabbed a large bag I could wear on my back.  
  
Thinking hard, I tried to remember the spell to enchant an item so that it created a pocket in space that could store more. That way, I would have somewhere to put the armor until we found the next temple or dungeon, and it wouldn’t run me ragged. Sweat broke out on my forehead as I reached back for the limited amount of magic I had. A spell I could have done easily in my previous life was now something I could barely manage in this one, the incantation leaving my lips as I grasped desperately for the magic I still had.  
  
The spell left me drained of energy, and I wearily put together my packs. Anything else I would need could be gathered in the morning, when I wasn’t dizzy from sleepiness. And so, kicking off my boots, I sank wearily into my bed, thankful of the familiar smell that wrapped me quickly in sleep.  
  
  
  
 _”You foolish woman! You’re going to be killed if you fight tomorrow!” It was Ghirahim’s voice no doubt, strained in anger and worry. I felt the sensation of hands on my arms, shaking me roughly.  
  
My body moved on its own, slapping the hands away. “I do what I want, Ghirahim, nothing you say can stop that!”  
  
“Damn it all! I just don’t want to see you run thr-“  
  
Things suddenly shifted, and I stood before the large Demon King Demise. I held a sword of odd coloring in my right hand, the left cradled to my chest from the sprain caused by my shield being broken by the huge demon. Link stood beside me, breathing heavy and with cuts ranging all over his body. I tasted blood as I licked my lips nervously.  
  
Fear gripped me as the scene fast forward, watching as Link charged the demon, drawing his attention. I knew what was happening, but my body moved on its own. Forward I moved, darting under Demise’s arm. Mustering the inhuman strength in my legs, I jumped off his knee and into the air. Too late for Demise to counterattack, I plunged the sword deeply into the muscle connecting his shoulder to his body.  
  
A roar gripped the earth and it shook. I looked up too late to see a familiar black blade hurdling directly towards me. Someone shouted my name, and for me to move, but even with my speed I would not have been able to dodge it.  
  
There was a horrifying crunch of steel and bones, and I looked down to see that Ghirahim had passed cleanly through me. It was a moment later that the pain hit and I screamed. The world spun and shrank until all I could feel was the explosion in my abdomen. How I was not dead yet, I did not know.  
  
Then, all went cold.  
  
White tresses fell over my shoulder as a shudder went through my body. It was cold, so cold.  
  
I followed the path of my arm- did my sword make it in time? Black blood spilled around the ornate hilt of the borrowed sword, flowing down scales and to the ground. A roar entered my ears and I felt another jerk in my stomach.  
  
“You incompetent human! You couldn’t even hit my chest!”  Flames billowed into the sky.  
  
Something traveled up and I coughed, marking the ground under me a deep burgundy. I lifted my eyes from the twisted form of Ghirahim and to the red-cloaked hero. “Land the final blow, Link.” My voice was humiliatingly weak as I clutched the blade lodged in me. “The magic in the blade will seal him.”  
  
Then the sword was gone from my torso, the last gift Ghirahim has given me. I collapsed, and watched the battle continue with the radiant sword hindering Demise. I saw the final blow, and Hylia descend to seal Demise away. I saw the sword in Demise’s hand fade away before the Goddess’s light reached him. I felt someone caress my bloodied cheek as the world began to grow dark and the presence leave.  
  
“I am sorry,” it was Hylia. She sounded weary, and there was an ocean of tears that could be heard in her voice.  
  
A cloud of bitter resentment pooled in my stomach, but like my blood it simply left me. The pain was unbearable, it had always been. I wanted to sleep. My eyes fluttered open and I tried to smile, but there was only darkness. “Tell my little ones… that mommy loves them.”  
  
“I will Kallen, I will make sure they live long and have many children. I will tell them of how wonderful their mother was, and how they wait for her when they pass on,” Hylia whispered, her touch a healing salve on my wounds.  
  
A gaping maw opened beneath me, and with a jerk to my stomach I was falling. Fast. I didn’t want to go! I had to-_  
  
  
Hands shook me awake, my eyes snapping open as my entire body was suddenly aware of the fact I had been crying.   
  
“Are you okay, Fallon?” Link’s brow was furrowed, blue eyes looking at me out of concern.  
  
Sitting up from where we had decided to camp last night, I quickly dried the water on my face. “I’m fine, just nightmares.” Taking a deep breath, I pushed down the panic attack much like one that hit me a day or so ago. Breathing out, I still felt the dredges of the fear that gripped me. I had to focus on something other than that in order for it to go away or at least for me to be able to ignore it for the time being. “Thank you, Link.”  
  
He nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off me. After I gave him a half-hearted smile, Link seemed to think I was feeling better, “You’re welcome. We should get going; we’re almost to the mines now.”  
  
I stood, stomping out our campfire and throwing sand over it, trying to ignore the sweat that had accumulated during the night’s panic attack. I hated to admit it, but I wasn’t okay. Every time I thought about my death, my heart would stop before racing as hard as it did at that time. Sometimes I imagined I could taste the blood; hear the sounds of the war far off, the blade as it passed through my organs and spine. Sweat broke out anew as I struggled to breathe, dragging out the waterskin to wet my suddenly dry mouth.  
  
Making myself look down as my stomach, I forced myself to breathe slowly, working to slow down my heart. I was safe. I wasn’t going to die anytime soon, not when I had so much to do. It wouldn’t do if I couldn’t get myself back together.  
  
Rolling my shoulders, I grabbed my pack and sword, strapping myself in for the walk ahead of me. “Let’s go.” My voice was gruff and slightly hoarse, but Link didn’t say anything as we continued on.  
  
Several hours of puzzle-solving and backtracking later, we watched as the mines rose from the sands, the time crystals allowing us to see into the world I had known so long ago. We paused so that I could buckle my armor into place, and after a quick prayer to Hylia we made our way inside.  
  
My senses were all on high alert as we walked in, wanting to be prepared for anything that decided to rear its ugly head at us. Link strode forward without caution, whipping his sword through the Arachas and throwing bombs to reveal different hidden doorways. I stood back, watching for enemies and feeling vulnerable. My student was fast and thorough, however, and we quickly moved on. He had grown considerably since his Wing Ceremony.  
  
Unfortunately, things were different than they were in the Earth Temple. We had to check every room, in case that was the way to go, and because Link preferred to not find any surprises lurking about. That meant that we had to deal with every puzzle, including frequent checks with the map, and Link crawling through various holes. So, I was forced to be patient, even though all I wanted to do was pick Link up and run through the entire facility. I was not so good at the patient stuff.  
  
Especially when Ghirahim could be using Zelda’s soul to release Demise at that very moment.  
  
The armor did come in handy, though- and it was a stroke of luck that the enchantment to keep it resistant to electricity still held. Otherwise, I would have been black, blue, and fried multiple times over. How Link had done this sort of thing twice already, and still feel optimistic, was a mystery. I kept as optimistic as I could, the two of us occasionally singing songs to pass the time when we had the breath.  
  
Two things did worry me, though. One was the number of Arachas. There were far too many of them, and at any moment I was expecting the mother figure to show up. The second was how... abandoned and destroyed the entire area was. I remember the Lanayru Desert as anything but, and the sad state of the mining robots nearly broke my heart. What had happened in the past three thousand years, to turn what was once a fertile land and sea into a desert? Was it the demons?  
  
“Fallon, do you think you can give me a hand?” Link was looking above, to a ledge that was out of reach.  
  
 _At least he wasn’t doing this alone_ , I thought wearily as I laced my fingers together, squatting and waiting for Link to set his foot in my hands. With a grunt, I pushed Link into the air, making sure he had a solid hold on the ledge before flexing my legs and jumping the distance.  _It would have taken twice as long to get where we are now._  
  
Luckily, we were able to find a model of old technology that was used centuries ago by my people. Link named it the Gust Bellows, though I’m not entirely sure where he came up with the name. The Gust Bellows did help, though, blowing away enemies and sand to recover different keys and such.  
  
It was slow work though, and after hours we finally found what had to be the ancient circuit that would open the large door, allowing us to exit the mine. At least, it appeared to be the exit, according to the map we found in a chest. Between the two of us, we managed to fit it into the lock, stepping back as we watched the lock fall to the floor with a resounding  _clunk_.  
  
Sighing, I turned to the hero, “Link, wait here for a moment. I’m going to check the room out.”  
  
Link shook his head, “There’s no need to, Fallon. We know the exit is out that way, so why not just go together? Even if there’s a monster in there, we’ll be able to handle it.” His mouth held itself in a firm line, telling me that there would be no arguing on this matter.  
  
Blue eyes met purple eyes, looks glancing and measuring, until I sighed again. “Very well, though you try to keep yourself out of too much danger. You’re much more important, as the Goddess’s Chosen Hero.”  
  
I swore I could see Link restrain himself from rolling his eyes. We’d been over it before, but I really meant it this time. I was merely another knight in the grand scheme of things, but there was only one Chosen Hero. “We’ll see, Instructor Fallon.”  
  
We entered the large room, my stomach prickling with uneasiness, but not enough to make me sick if we were truly in danger. Neither of us liked how the room was covered with sand, no door in sight. If the map was correct, the exit was a ways below, the sand between us and it. Even with the Wind Bellows, it would take a long time, and that’s not taking into account whether or not we found something that might see us as a tasty snack.  
  
Unfortunately, Link and I did not have to wait long to find out. The sand under our feet shifted, the sound of millions of grains moving echoing through the metal room. A large shape moved, barely burrowing under the sand. Immediately realizing what it was, I cursed loudly just as the damned thing jumped out.  
  
“Moldarach!” I shouted to Link as we unsheathed our weapons. “Watch out for the stinger on the tail! Weak points are the eyes – one on the head and one in each of its pincers!”  
  
He nodded, his sword arcing through the air as he yelled a battle cry. Link kept the attention of the monster arachnid, allowing me to roll past her – it was a her by the judge of how many arachas we had come across – and stab at the base of the tail that held the stinger high above.   
  
Now I had her attention, the front swinging around so that she was able to knock me on my ass with the giant pincer she wielded expertly. I groaned, getting up, only worried about how hard it was going to be to get out all the sand in my armor. Jumping back, I dodged another swipe at me, giving me a quick swipe at the large eye inside. She didn’t like that either, and before we could stop her the Moldarach buried itself in the sand, moving around.  
  
Link thought faster than I did, quickly bringing the wind bellows and blowing where her outline disappeared to. I followed, holding my sword tightly, ready to strike at the moment’s notice. Suddenly, the mother scorpion jumped back up from her hiding place, attacking again with her pincers.  
  
Again, I cursed the luck I seemed to have, wondering how the ancient beast had managed to make a nest in just the place we needed to be.  
  
An attack from Link’s sword caused the smaller pincer to fall off, the monster now forced to use only its one as its prime weapon. Her attacks became more desperate, and she managed to burrow away twice more before managing to slice off the other pincer. Now, normally that would have been enough for a normal Moldarach to run away or simply die, but this mother was just about as stubborn as I was. Dodging her charges relatively effectively, and only being stung a couple of times, Link and I were able to kill the creature, but not before working up a sweat and going through several heart potions. The next time I saw her, I would have to tell Luv how many times her potions saved us from dying.  
  
With the creator of the nest killed, the sand seemed to magically drain away. I would leave the wondering of how that happened for later, when I wasn’t so tired. As it was, the two of us were glad to merely walk through the door and into a grossly large corridor lined with large statues of mining robots. Waiting for us was an empty mine cart, with no track. Link and I had seen this enough times now that we knew one of the Timeshift Stones was nearby. And of course, Link was the one to spot it and activate it with his flying beetle. He was very observant when he chose to be, I had rediscovered these past two days.  
  
Climbing into the mining cart with just enough room for the two of us, we felt it move. Glancing at me, Link seemed to blink at something, eyebrows furrowing. “What’s that on your neck?”  
  
Leaning back as safely as I could, I looked at him as if he had grown horns. Then it hit me, and I groaned, “Surely, you’ve seen a hickie before?” Didn’t the male instructors talk to the boys about this kind of stuff?  
  
Link blinked again, face growing just a little red as he shook his head, “Did the demon give you that?” When I nodded in reply, he paused. The question I knew he had wanted to ask finally came out, “Why are you with him?”  
  
A slow grin took over my face, making Link squirm. “You really want to know?” I felt like a remlit with cream, the sight of my uncomfortable student making me want to laugh. Maybe Ghirahim had rubbed off on me. Hesitantly, Link nodded in reply. “He’s amazing at sex.”  
  
My laughter rang through the hall as Link took on a wonderful shade of red that contrasted his green tunic, finally turning away to mutter, “Women.”


	19. The Gate of Time

Somehow I was able to stop laughing by the time the mine cart came to a start, Link climbing out and holding his hand out to help me. He seemed to have gotten over his embarrassment, even though he refused to meet my eyes.   
  
 _He’s probably disgusted, even if it’s just a small part of him that is._  I waved the feelings of guilt and distress that followed the thought. Hadn’t I known that people would react in such a way if they knew? I was prepared for such feelings, but the thought of Link thinking of me in such a way left a bad taste in my mouth. Setting my mouth in a firm smile, I sighed inwardly.  _He’ll understand, maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow, but he will one day._  
  
“Let’s go catch up with Zelda,” I prompted with the brightest tone I could muster. “I’m sure she’s waiting for us up ahead, and we don’t want to keep her there, do we?”  
  
Link smiled, glancing towards my shoulder rather than my face, “Not at all.”  
  
We ran up a set of stone stairs, fresh air flooding through after hours of air that had not moved in thousands of years. Sunlight filtered into our eyes, making my heart beat fast for want of seeing the sky. A smile crept over my face, leading me to running faster. Emerging from underground, we blinked the sun from our eyes, quickly scanning our surroundings.  
  
To our left was the tall stone wall, which I recognized as the gate that had been in our way earlier. To our right was a drop off, a stone bridge connecting one piece of land to the other. I looked up, the architecture of the temple overly familiar as I spied the giant turning cog in the center of the structure. Light blue symbols decorated the magical item. Of the symbols, I immediately recognized the symbols for Farore, Din, Nayru, and the item I knew to be called the Triforce. Hurrying through the scattered memories of my teachings, I was able to at least figure out what some of the accompanying symbols were. Translating quickly, I soon realized this is an artifact that had long been whispered about in my days, the Gate of Time. Back then, it was rumored that it would send you thousands of years to the future, which I suppose is now. If one were to walk through that Gate now, though…  
  
I was so caught up in trying to place meaning to the other symbols that I completely missed the three women standing in front of the magical item. The ending notes of a song drifted into my ears, and in a distant part of my mind I recognized the song from long, long ago. However, I was more focused on how the wheel suddenly transformed, opening to reveal some sort of path, or even a gateway.  
  
“Fallon! It’s you!” My gaze focused on a familiar green-haired woman, a smile capturing my face as I recognized Kaxlin, Leslie’s twin. I hadn’t seen her since that day in the forest!  
  
What really caught my eyes; however, were the two besides her. The one was tall and thin, built for speed and agility. After a moment, I recognized her as Impa, a woman I had known thousands of years ago. But how would she be alive after all this time? My eyes slid to Zelda, and my breath caught.  
Zelda really was Hylia. I could tell by the way she carried herself, her dress, the harp in her hands, how her hair was styled. I had suspected, but to have my suspicions confirmed? How had I been so blind? She looked at me for a moment, sadness reflected in the depths of her blue eyes as she nodded.  
  
This was why Ghirahim needed Zelda. The soul of Hylia would be more than enough to resurrect his Master. Did he know that Zelda was Hylia, or that she just had the key to awaken Demise? Either way, he must not get his hands on Hylia.  
  
“Link!” Zelda called out, her voice not sounding any different from usual.  
  
The two of them began to run to us and just as I was getting ready to bow to Hylia, an explosion rocked the stone beneath us. Debris launched outward, dust flying up and obscuring my vision for a moment as Link coughed. A chill flew up my spine as familiar laughter echoed in the darkening hall. Out of the dust shot a streak of white and red, landing on the walkway to the Gate of Time. Ghirahim straightened, glancing at Link as his sword sliced through dusty. A barrier appeared, blocking our path to Hylia and Impa. The demon’s eyes didn’t even seem to see me as he turned back to his prey.  
  
Impa was barely able to react in time, but she darted forward to meet Ghirahim’s sword with a field of magic. Unfazed, Ghirahim began to strike at her defenses with his sword, letting out grunts in both anger and excitement. Kaxalin drew her own sword, going to Zelda’s side with a shout I couldn’t hear.  
“Your Grace! Quickly, to the Gate!” Impa’s voice cut through the clang of steel against magic.  
In panic I glanced at the barrier in front of Link. I still couldn’t get to them! My heart thundered in my ears as I thought of what I had to do. I had to jump! My legs froze as Zelda ran close to the edge, Kaxalin at her side still.  
  
Hylia raised the harp to the sky, shouting to Link, “Link, here! You’ll need this where you are going!” In a burst of golden magic, the harp arced over and into Link’s hands. She began to run back to the Gates of Time, and whatever lay beyond it.  
  
“Go now!” Impa yelled somewhere in my thoughts.  
  
A shattering sound pierced through my panic, and I turned my attention back to Ghirahim. Before my brain had even caught up with what I had seen, I found myself jumping off of the platform and onto the bridge in front of Ghirahim in order to not only protect Hylia, but Impa who laid in the shards of her broken magic.  
  
My eyes focused in on Ghirahim’s blade as it barely stopped in front of my nose. I held my breath as Ghirahim’s eyes blinked once, his expression falling into shock. “Fallon?” He opened his mouth to say more, but was warned by Link’s angry yell.  
  
Ghirahim grabbed me, forcing my body behind me as he dodged Link’s powerful jump attack. Hastily he backed up, before whipping around to grab my face with warm hands. “Do not get in my way,” Ghirahim ground out, before giving me a quick, but hard kiss. He turned around, only to discover that his quarry had escaped through the Gate. The muscles in his arms tensed as he watched Impa destroy the Gate of Time. I moved to grab a hold of him, but he stepped forward with a clenched fist.  
  
“Now you’ve done it, Link!” Rage coated Ghirahim’s tongue as he glared at the hero in front of him, poised to strike at any moment.  
  
Kaxalin walked forward, interrupting Ghirahim to ask, “What exactly do you understand, Ghirahim?” I sent him a puzzled look. What was she talking about?  
  
Ghirahim’s face relaxed into a feral grin, “That even if I can’t get that silly girl… I can still use you!” His hand twitched and he began to move forward.  
  
Again, my body seemed to think before my mind did. I tackled Ghirahim to the ground, pinning his arms and legs down with a strength that would have scared me just a few weeks ago. I would figure out what was going on, when my mind would finally catch up. For now, all I knew was that Kaxalin was not safe from Ghirahim and that Ghirahim was struggling with all his might to come out from underneath me.  
  
I couldn’t see her face, but as Kaxalin asked, “How do you know?!” I could feel the fear that she herself felt.  
  
“Your Highness, as your sword spirit and bodyguard I advise you to run!” That had to have been Furrie. “I’ll hold off this demon scum!”  
  
Ghirahim stopped struggling for a moment, allowing me to relax just enough that I was not about to pop a vein. He looked over my shoulder and laughed. And what a hollow sounding laugh it was. “I’ve been planning this for over a thousand years! I of course looked for loopholes in case something should happen to the Spirit Maiden, and it is only natural that I found out about the Children of the Goddesses!” With what he had to say done, he began to throw himself about again.  
  
I clamped down hard, sweat dripping down my face as I pleaded, “Please go! I can only hold him down for so long!”  
  
“Let go of me, Fallon!” Ghirahim grunted, anxiousness crossing his face and dripping into his voice, “I need her to resurrect my Master!”  
  
My eyes locked on his as my hands clamped down harder on his wrists. Slowly, I said so that only he could hear, “No, dear.” Heat sparked and he looked hard into my eyes, as if realizing something for the first time.  
  
“I will fight you to prove to my people that you demons are nothing! I am not afraid of you!” Kaxalin said with a confidence I almost envied. I saw her footsteps out of the corner of my eyes as she ran past, followed by what must have been Furrie’s feet. Looking up, I saw them teleport away.  
  
I went slack with relief, allowing Ghirahim to grab me by the waist and drag me along as he stood. A sword appeared in his hand as he looked at Link with a sigh that could almost pass as a groan, “I blame myself for this. I should have reprimanded you the last time we met, but I was…” Ghirahim looked at me, “Soft. I’d take pleasure in punishing you, but I do not have time for such recreation. But next time, I’ll do more than just beat you senseless.” He chuckled menacingly, one arm still around my armored waist. Ghirahim waved his sword, preparing to teleport, “I’ll make the affair so excruciating; you’ll deafen yourself with the sounds of your own screams.”  
  
Chills went through my entire body as we teleported. I was suddenly afraid for my student. Ghirahim wouldn’t be afraid to carry out his threat, even if I were to try and intervene. All I could hope for is a miracle.  
  
I had more important things to worry about for the moment, though, as things came into focus. I was back in Ghirahim’s castle, more importantly his room. Ghirahim himself stepped away from me, eyes locking on the armor I wore.  
  
“Now that we are somewhere a little less public, do you mind explaining what exactly is going on?” Ghirahim folded his arms, a frown on his face. “And where did you get that armor?”  
  
“Hello to you, too,” I muttered, throwing down the pack from my shoulders. “I don’t know what is going on anymore, Ghirahim. I just keep you from hurting other people I care about.” It was a partial lie, not that it really mattered. “As for the armor, I found it at home. It had been left for me to use.”  
Ghirahim tilted his head, his posture relaxing slightly, “Do all knights use such armor?”  
  
“No, this one belongs to the Lumiar family,” I watched him awkwardly, unsure of what he was planning. “It has since Skyloft existed.”  
  
Stepping back up to me, Ghirahim reached out, pulling the banner aside to show the shining breastplate. He stared at my midsection for a moment, before softly touching my face, “Well, you have returned to me. That means I am never letting you go again.”  
  
I licked my lips, inching forward so that we were closer. “You know what? I’m okay with that.”   
  
Ghirahim’s gloved thumb traced the shape of my lips, his own lips curving into a smile. Hot breath fanned out on my lips as he bent down, for a kiss, “Good, because I have been waiting centuries for you, my dear.”


	20. Collapse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the end of the en masse upload. From now on, all chapters will be uploaded as they are written. As a warning, I am unfortunately very bad at regular updates. A chapter is currently in the works. Any questions or concerns, please let me know. Thanks for reading!

The flurry of thoughts that had been occupying my mind for the past three days all left my head in a rush as soon as Ghirahim kissed me. No more did I care about the past or future. In that moment, all I had to care about was the way his lips curved against my own.

Hands left their places, and I heard a faint clinking sound as our mouths parted, breathing hard. My belt and the chains attached fell away, the weight taken off of my hips. "Take it off," Ghirahim ordered, his voice barely above a whisper as his eyes burned into me, causing heat to rise to my cheeks.

I bit back a rhetoric, instead meeting his eyes as I reached for the belts on my armguards. They fell to the floor, followed by the cape. Next came the boots, kicking them off to the side were the other pieces fell. I traced the edges of the pauldrons and spaulders, all thudding softly on the dense carpet of Ghirahim's room.

A smile formed on my lips as I walked back towards Ghirahim, who had been sitting on his bed, watching me. Bumping his knees aside so my thighs were between his, I bent down. My lips were barely making contact with his, Ghirahim's eyes closing in bliss as my arms wrapped around his shoulders. I could feel the heat coming off of him through his mantle and my own clothing, and smiled briefly as I realized how nice it would be to cuddle with him in the dead of winter. Winding my hands in his short hair, I murmured against him, "Help?"

Ghirahim tilted his head back, our lips finally connecting again as Ghirahim ran his hands up and down my arms, finally resting on the back of my gorget. He pulled back, the heavy steel being pulled over my head and thrown to the side. Now that the gorget was gone and out of the way, Ghirahim found a new quarry. He began to nibble down my neck, sending sparks racing from the point of contact to a new home in my lower body. Off came the banner, floating down to the ground. Then went the breast plate, and the faulds, until all that was left were the greaves and bandages under. Even those were gone within moments, leaving me in only cloth.

Standing, Ghirahim kissed me viciously, our teeth clacking painfully together in his roughness as he pushed me against the wall. Gone was his mantle, Ghirahim's hands grabbing my ass and hoisting me up, pressing me between himself and the wall. His one hand remained on my butt, squeezing it hard enough to make me gasp while his other hand lifted my one leg over his hip. Automatically, I pressed the other leg so that they squeezed his waist, earning a groan as I pressed against him. Hands grabbed all over, barely conscious of what I was doing as I grinded low against him, enjoying the friction between our bodies and the sounds that came from both of us.

"Goddess, Fallon," Ghirahim moaned from my neck. "I am sorely tempted to fuck you against this wall."

One of my hands traced down his chest, causing Ghirahim to shudder as I took a hold of his belt and tore it off. Throwing it on the floor, my hand returned to where it had been – curled in his short hair to tug on as our tongues ventured into each other's mouths. I pulled back from the kiss panting, heat running through my veins as I retorted, "Perhaps after a few rounds… but I want my first time to be on a bed." I meant it too, images from thousands of years ago floating in and I groaned at the thought of how amazing he was when inside me. A wicked thought lodged itself within me, and I pushed Ghirahim away from me. My feet touched the floor and as soon as they did I pushed Ghirahim back against the wall.

"What are you-?" Ghirahim stopped as I lowered myself to my knees, hands on his thighs as I looked at him with an evil glint in my eye. He grinned slowly, almost cocky, "Are you sure you're ready for that, sweetheart?"

My fingers traced over the open patches of skin through his jumpsuit, marveling at how muscular he remained through all these years. I looked ahead at the very obvious erection through the thin material, grinning in response to Ghirahim. Looking through my eyelashes, I practically purred up to him, "The question is, are you?" I reached out, my palm laying against it as I watched him struggle for words.

Now, I personally did not enjoy the sensation of giving a blowjob. No, the real fun and excitement for me came from Ghirahim's reactions. So, as his jumpsuit vanished against my skin, I watched his face as I took him in my hand. His thigh muscles tensed under my other hand, his eyes closing as I pumped him slowly. Almost experimentally, as if this was my first time when in truth I knew just what to do to make him turn to putty. Licking my lips, my eyes never left Ghirahim's face as I licked him slowly from base to tip, making sure to dip into the slit at the top of his cock.

It was as if Ghirahim had been struck by lightning. All of his muscles tensed, then went slack as his erection entered my mouth. Ghirahim's eyes were pools of darkness as he stared down in both excitement and wonder. As I began to move my head, his mouth dropped open to release the most sexual sound I had heard from him yet. What couldn't fit in my mouth, I pumped in time with my hand, alternating between licking the shaft and the head. There was a crash, and I looked up to see Ghirahim supporting himself on the nearby dresser, bent over me. Picking up my pace, I began to pump harder, feeling the skin in my mouth twitch.

Ghirahim began to pant, and I could tell he was close to losing it. He panted out, "Rougher – goddess yes, just like that!" As I lightly used by teeth against him, he groaned loudly enough to make me jump, sinking my nails into his thigh. A strangled sound escaped his lips, and all of a sudden his hand was in my hair. He pushed, and I barely released what he was doing before I almost choked on his dick. "Relax," he growled.

I did as he said, as much as I hated it when he did this. Digging my nails into his skin, I allowed him to push me up and down, until at last he jerked and came in a rush. Before it could land on my tongue or anywhere else I swallowed everything, pulling away and looking at the demon above me. The sight of him was worth the discomfort of deep-throating him, his sweat-covered skin shivering in the aftermath of orgasm as he used both the wall and dresser for support. Ghirahim's eyes were closed, but he opened them quickly to look at me.

"Not bad for my first time, hm?" I lied as I raised an eyebrow, slowly getting to my feet. My arms went around his shoulders, leaning into him with a smile as he smirked back.

His hands rested on my hips as he tilted his head, "What I am most confused about is how you are still completely dressed while I am as naked as a newborn human." Without so much of a warning, my shirt was yanked off of my body and thrown to the floor. "But that can be quickly remedied."

Feeling the heat that radiated off of his skin and onto my own, I pulled Ghirahim into a deep kiss. It wasn't delicate either, as I practically attached myself to him, one hand a claw in his hair and the other on his ever-moving jaw. I didn't care what happened now, I just cared about the feeling of his scorching fingers on my back as he gripped at muscles, tracing my spine and just barely working his way around the band of my bra. My breath hitched as Ghirahim's hands finally rested on the band of my bra, feeling him frown when he fails to find the hooks to remove it.

"In the front, dear," I muttered in his ear, excitement flying high in me. "And stop being so gentle. I don't care about going slow now. Not anymore."

Growling softly, Ghirahim picked me up again, the muscles on his arms standing out as he looked into my face with a grin. He began to attack my neck again, and I wrapped my legs around him to keep myself steady. His lips traced over the hickey he had already given me, latching on and sucking hard to deepen the color of it. I fought the urge to rock against him while wondering just how much longer I could hold out before practically begging him to fuck me senseless.

A groan left my lips as Ghirahim began to kiss along the edges of my bra, softly teasing the skin there with a series of licks, kisses, and soft bites. Then we were moving, Ghirahim's steps smooth as he dumped me into the bed before climbing on top of me. His eyes were glowing with lust and his voice husky as he questioned, "What made you change your mind?"

I hesitated, hands resting on his chest as I thought of what to say, "I finally figured out what I want." The blush on my cheeks deepened and I stuttered out, "And you were very persuasive." My hand guided his to the front of my bra, resting over the clasp holding it together. Ghirahim's fingers traced over the clasp, hooking under and snapping it open.

Ghirahim's eyes immediately found a new place to look, smiling as he purred "Well, that is certainly a good reason."

Shifting, I placed my arms around his shoulders again, "Then, stop hesitating and go for it, Demon Lord Ghirahim."

"Oh, I do not need to be told twice, dear," Ghirahim lowered himself on me, smashing our bodies together until it was hard to breath. Not that I would have been able to with how he was kissing me. I could never get sick of his kisses when he takes it seriously; the slow gliding of his lips and the warmth from his breath driving me slowly insane.

My breath stopped altogether as his lips trailed down my neck, coming to the valley between my breasts. His breath tickled the peak of my breast, and I swallowed a gasp as he attacked it with his mouth. Licking and soft bites sent small waves down my skin, toes curling as his hands pulled off my bra completely. Ghirahim hummed softly, looking at the hardened nub smugly before making eye contact with me. While keeping eye contact, his warm hands made their way down my sides, resting on my still-clothed hips. His hair tickled my skin as his nose glided down my front, Ghirahim softly biting my abs before nudging the area just above the band of my pants.

Hissing softly, I bit my lip to keep from making a sound as he played with the sensitive skin there, his mouth dangerous as it left darkened patches of skin in its wake. My hand unconsciously curled into his hair, enjoying the pleasure while wanting to give it back to him. "Ghirahim…" I let out, barely moaning his name, followed by a gasp as he pulled the rest of my clothing from me.

Infuriatingly, the demon paused there, sitting up to stare. I felt the heat radiating off of his thighs onto mine, my eyes taking in his own, aroused form as the tension rose. Ghirahim's lips opened, a smile forming as he breathed out, "You truly are a gorgeous woman, Fallon."

Despite the growing heat between my thighs, I raised an eyebrow, "Did you ever doubt that I was?" I shifted slightly, parting my legs more to show my own arousal.

"Not since I first saw the fire in your eyes, as you struggled to live through the pain of falling a thousand feet through air," Ghirahim leaned over, our bodies lining up neatly as his lips traced over mine. "Not since you raised your sword against me that day." He smothered my body with his, skin pressing against skin as he kissed me roughly and urgently. I clutched onto his body, the feeling his erection rubbing against my arousal enough for me to moan loudly into his ear. His breath hitched in response and he quickly sat up, "I don't even care about the fact that the Spirit Maiden got away today. This… this more than makes up for it."

I eyed him for any trace of anger, and as I failed to see any I smiled, "Well then, that certainly makes this more fun, doesn't it?"

Smiling wickedly, Ghirahim licked his lips with a chuckle as he grabbed my hips, "Either way, you'll be screaming when I'm done with you." Without any visible effort, he lifted my lower half so that my thighs were on either side of his head, resting on his shoulders. From between my legs he continued, "I've ached for you, why, even before I knew you existed, my dear. You will not be able to stand tomorrow, if I have any say in the matter."

Grabbing onto his knee for support, I felt my muscles begin to burn in the new position. I didn't mind, though, especially when I felt his lips trail over the inside of my thigh, slowly drawing closer to their target. His breath ghosted over my warmth, and he paused there, waiting for a response. By now, I could hardly breathe, the position making it hard to even without Ghirahim's mouth dangerously close to my opening. I gasped out, nails digging into his skin, "Holy Hylia, Ghirahim! Just… do it!"

And then his wonderful, marvelous mouth was on me, doing wonderful, marvelous things that had me gasping and moaning, clutching at sheets and his hair. Slow at first, then hard and fast enough that I thought I would pass out from how good it felt. When Ghirahim started to groan against me was when I lost it, screaming his name loud enough that I felt him smile from between my legs as I came down from my high. Still lost in the pleasure, I barely noticed as Ghirahim pulled his fingers out and lowered me back down to the mattress, crawling over to give me a long kiss that tasted like myself.

Finding myself again, I responded to the kiss, moaning low in my throat as I rocked against him. By now the two of us were covered in sweat, but neither of us minded as we slowly drew away from each other, Ghirahim eyeing me just as much as I eyed him.

"Damn, do I want you in me right now," I whispered, already feeling my voice becoming hoarse, "Do it soon, I may not be able to make it otherwise."

Tilting his head, Ghirahim surveyed me, "We will have to work on your stamina then… perhaps a stamina potion would help?" He smirked, hands grabbing onto my thighs once more and kneading them between his strong fingers. "After all, I have a very strong sexual appetite."

I laughed, "As if I couldn't tell, love. Now, are you going to edge about it all afternoon or are we going to get to the really fun part?" My fingers danced along his front, enjoying how his skin dipped and curved and feeling the remains of ancient scars.

He paused, taking in my words before smiling, "You love me?" Ghirahim moved forward, and I felt his erection against me.

Taking in a deep breath, I forced myself to relax. Being tense would help with absolutely nothing, "It is hard to say why… but I do."

"That is good… because I am never letting you go ever again, do you hear me?" Ghirahim pressed on in, stressing each word as he inched further in.

Forcing myself to breath, I tried to focus on something other than the slight tightness I was experiencing down below, "I do, Ghirahim. I don't want to let you go either." My nails dug into his bicep, trying to not clench any other muscles.

"Thank you, Fallon. I never want to lose you like I lost her, never again," Ghirahim closed his eyes, biting his lip before finally growling out, "Goddess, Fallon. I don't know if I can hold back much longer."

My heart stopped for two seconds, and I wasn't sure what to respond to. The awkwardly-timed, but deep confession or Ghirahim wanting to already pound on into me. Sighing, I willed my body to become rubber before winding my hands into his hair, "You're welcome, though if you don't fuck me hard right now I might walk out that door."

His eyes popped open, making eye contact with me long enough that I could see the tumult of thoughts in his mind before he kissed me. With how hard he kissed, I knew what was coming and tensed at just the wrong moment as his hips snapped forward. Jumping, I swore into Ghirahim's mouth as he lay still, gauging my reaction. "You told me to move."

"I did, I did." I hissed through my teeth, not at all worried that I found the pain almost pleasurable, "I just… underestimated what it would be like is all. I'm fine now."

Ghirahim hesitated a moment more, kissing my mouth before beginning to move. As he began to find his rhythm, so did I. Before long the pleasure conquered the pain and I felt myself begin to moan, sweat building up much like the friction between our bodies. His hand clenched onto my hip, trying to keep me steady as his thrusts became deeper and deeper, finally hitting the spot that made every part of me jolt with pleasure. The pain from his bruising grip combined to make a pleasurable pain that I could enjoy.

Touching our foreheads together, Ghirahim whispered roughly, "Look at me, Fallon."

My eyes found his, so close to my own that it only caused me to bite my lip and raise my hips to meet his. I was panting, and he was too, and we were touching each other everywhere we could while still looking at the other. Every moment brought me closer to orgasm, to the point where all I could think was if he could just go harder and faster.

Eventually I brought my demands to my lips, groaning them out and onto Ghirahim's nearby lips. He merely smirked in response before complying. Ghirahim grabbed my wrists, holding them above my head and stretching me out as he went hard and fast, never losing his rhythm. Then he was kissing me all over, whispering dark and delightful things against my skin. And just as I feared I would never reach orgasm, he angled himself in such a way that it caused me to see bright lights every time he thrust in. I was gone, his name not able to make it past my lips as I felt my world fall into pleasure. And still Ghirahim continued his efforts at his own orgasm, inducing another in me before long. When he finally went still, my name falling from his lips as he shook for a moment, his muscles straining to keep him from collapsing on top of me.

And then he was kissing me, falling onto his side and pulling me into his arms. Ghirahim pressed our sweat-soaked bodies together, entwining limbs until the only reason I knew which belonged to me were the differing skin tones. We lay there for another moment under the sheet, enjoying the post-sex high before reality set in.

A yawn escaped from me, and I automatically nuzzled into Ghirahim, "If you're going to want to go again… I'm going to need a nap."

"Sleep, dear. While I will let you. I am still enjoying the after effects of our first coupling, but once that has ebbed away I want to be back inside you without delay." Ghirahim muttered, his arms automatically tightening around me, keeping me warm.

I smiled, "Of course, dear. I shouldn't be able to walk tomorrow, right?"

"Right," Ghirahim mumbled, fighting a yawn himself. "Now sleep."

"Yes, but Ghirahim?" My eyes refused to stay open, but I knew I had to tell him.

The demon shifted slightly, just to pull the sheet farther up our bodies, "Hm?"

"I'm not planning on dying anytime soon."

Ghirahim pressed his lips to my forehead, whispering in response, "Thank you… but she didn't either."

I cracked one eye open to look at him briefly, contemplating whether to tell him the truth or not. Instead, I opted for mumbling a brief, "Well, I'm going to live, if only for you," before allowing myself to fall asleep.

* * *

I looked at the body in my arms, trying to fight off sleep but for a moment longer. That feeling that once belonged only to her kindled, housed in purple eyes that were not her own. I still could see her face on that day. If Fallon could make me feel that way, then maybe I would finally be able to wipe the image of her corpse from my mind.

Smoothing her dark hair, I thought back to just an hour ago when she leapt in front of my sword. In that moment, I swore I saw her. Fallon looks nothing like her, outside of her eyes. It must have been the armor that threw me off. It was so similar to hers, but there was no way that suit of armor would the one Fallon wears now. It was just a trick of the light, I tell myself.

All a trick of the light.


	21. Duel

I woke to the sound of knocking, the hollow sound filling Ghirahim’s bedchamber much like the light that passed through the glass panes of the windows. Sleepily, I realized it was morning. Arms tightened around me, pulling my back closer to Ghirahim’s chest. The knocking continued, earning grumbles that poured from Ghirahim’s mouth into my nearby ear.

“Goddess-damned bokoblins don’t know the meaning of do not disturb,” Ghirahim’s voice was gritty from sleep. I felt his lips against the back of my neck, warm against the cool skin.

Turning my face, I was finally able to see Ghirahim. Smiling wearily, I sighed, “You might as well let them in as it appears the knocking won’t stop anytime soon.”

Continuing to grumble, Ghirahim sat up while running a hand through his unkempt hair in an effort to tame the strands that stuck out like spikes, “I’d much rather go another round with you, my dear.” He stood, grabbing one of the many sheets off of his bed and covering his lower half. Ghirahim paused there, looking at me as I settled back down into the soft bed.

I gave him a look, “Even you should be spent after last night, Ghirahim.” Already I felt my hips and back beginning to feel sore, and the numerous bruises and scratches running down my body did not help either. “I don’t think I would be able to even if I wanted.”

“Well,” Ghirahim started, but the knocking grew in intensity, cutting him off as he whirled around and yanked the door open to reveal a bokoblin. The bokoblin shriveled under the gaze of the Demon Lord immediately, floundering to find words. “Spit. It. Out.” Ghirahim grinded out between his teeth.

Choking sounds came from the bokoblin as it began to back away, its eyes never leaving Ghirahim as it finally squealed, “We still cannot find the Spirit Maiden!”

Shoulders tensing, Ghirahim glanced over his shoulder. I raised an eyebrow in return to his look, not able to keep a small smile from my lips at the news. Ghirahim closed the door behind him, cutting me off from any conversation made. As long as Ghirahim kept his voice down. There was a loud, slightly muffled, “You idiots! Of course you would not be able to find her, she went through a damn Gate of Time!” Any words that passed between them after that were inaudible.

I rolled onto my stomach, feeling out how sore I was and stretching in the process. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was still worried about Zelda. Searching old and faded memories, I knew that even for Kallen the Gate of Time was just a rumor. For it to actually exist, only to be destroyed when Hylia’s reincarnation passed through…

There had to be more than one Gate of Time. Otherwise, Impa would not have destroyed it, trapping the two of them in whatever time it took them to. Based on Ghirahim’s reaction, he did not know where the other Gate was. Good. I suppose it was up to me to keep him from discovering where the second Gate of Time is located. Maybe keeping him in bed would buy Link enough time to gain the upper hand. My hips winced at the thought.

The door squeaked open, Ghirahim strolling back over to the bed and sitting next to me. Tracing the scratches on my back, he smiles with a little too much force, “Are you sore?”

“I don’t think I can walk,” I grumbled in return, shivering briefly at his touch.

This time his smile wasn’t forced, but smug, “I warned you beforehand.”

“Yes, dear,” I chuckled, wincing as I sat up and faced him. “But I think I saw even you walk with a slightly limp.”

“All imagined, I’m afraid,” Ghirahim smirks, cupping my face within his two warm hands. “I am far too perfect to limp from a night of pleasure.”

I snorted, “Well then, forgive me for not being as perfect as you, but I would like to get out of bed at some point without falling over.”

Giving me a quizzical look, Ghirahim pouted slightly, “And why would you want to do that?”

 

* * *

 

 

“I still do not understand why could not spar in other ways, Fallon,” the small pout had not left Ghirahim’s face yet, even after I consumed a red potion and put on my clothes only to make our way to a room large enough to cross swords. He stood in the center, his arms crossed reluctantly.

Unsheathing my own sword, I looked along the edge for any scratches. I would need to take the blade in to get it fixed soon. “I thought you enjoyed fighting, Ghirahim.”

“I do, but I would much rather be doing a different form of exercise that does not require clothes,” Ghirahim sighs.

Trying to get him out of his mood, I knew only one way to get him to even draw his sword, “Are you afraid that I will beat you?”

As I knew, Ghirahim’s sword was in his hand only a second after the last word left my lips, “Care to repeat that, my dear?”

“You heard me, love. You’re afraid that I will hand your ass to you on a silver platter,” I smiled at the smack talk, missing the feeling of sparring someone for fun rather than for life or death.

“I’ve changed my mind, I think I would like to spar with you, if only to prove how wrong you are,” Ghirahim’s smirk was hard, eyes narrowing as he licks his lips.

I raised my brows, “Oh, but first we should set some ground rules. One- no magic or weapons other than swords. All natural, I suppose. First to draw blood wins.”

Rolling his eyes, Ghirahim gave a disgruntled huff at the rules, “Very well, but when I win we are going back to bed.”

Grinning, I took position in the center of the room by him, one hand clasping the hilt of my sword loosely, “After you, Ghirahim.”

 

* * *

 

 

I wasn’t stupid. I knew what she was doing. And it was working, damn it.

My rapier cut through the air, meeting her shining blade with the metallic clash I loved almost as much as I loved the sound of bones crushing.

She knew just what buttons to push to push me over the edge of anger and pleasure.

Her form was fluid, blocking my swings and pierces with speed rather than brute strength. When she attacked, there was no hesitation in her actions and strength. It was so different from when she first fought me in that glade. I caught the glint in her purple eyes. She was sure of herself. What had changed between then and now?

There were no holes in her defense, outside of the small split-second she left her wrist unguarded as she blocked. For how long has she been practicing swordplay? I wanted to know more, if it was time that perfected her form or talent. She fought differently from the boy, who was strong despite his small form. She taught him, did she not? How could their fighting styles be that different?

It was a puzzle, one that was slowly coming together. And I did not like the picture it was making.

My own perfect rapier moved like lightning, striking her in the wrist just when she was unguarded. Her mortal blade fell to the ground, Fallon hissing slightly as she tried to back up. Always so quick to cover her emotions and thoughts, I wouldn’t let her this time. Snaking out, my arm hooked around her waist and brought her snugly against my form.

Fallon looked up with surprise, hair that had fallen from her quickly constructed braid framing her face slightly as her lips parted to speak.

“You’re hiding something.” In response, Fallon’s face opened up, her eyes widening and lips forming an O. “And I want to know what it is.”

“Why do you think that?” Her voice was small, emphasized by small panting.

I felt my lips turn down at the sound of her fear. She didn’t deny it. “You speak as if I am stupid, Fallon.”

“No!” I blinked at her sudden ferocity, “No, I do not think you are stupid, Ghirahim. I cannot tell you yet what I know.”

Another blink, but this time I had to push down the anger that came bubbling up at her words. “Cannot, or will not?”

Her voice died inside her throat, and she bit her lip. “I don’t want to tell you yet.”

My eyes narrowed, and I strained against the pressure to yell and berate. If I got mad at her again, she would leave. I didn’t want that, not after last night. “If I win the duel, you will tell me.”

“You love to gamble, don’t you?” Fallon’s eyes glazed over, the innocence dropping from her face.

We watched each other for a moment. It was annoying how she looked at me, cautious and closed off. The other woman liked to wear the same expression on her face. The apple never fell far from the tree, it appears.

Her sigh was the sigh of someone far older than she appeared, reminding me once again that Fallon was not a normal Hylian. Not with how fast she could move. It was a sign that the paladin’s blood still had power. I didn’t know how old she truly was. I didn’t know that much about her, but she seemed to know too much about me.

“Deal. If you draw the first blood, I will tell you what I am afraid to tell you.” Fallon withdrew herself from me, the air around her shifting with a minimal hum of power. She turned, picking her sword up from where it had fallen on the ground.

I need to know why she is here.

“No more fun and games.” Fallon didn’t bat an eyelash as she squared herself up again, her stance different, confidence practically oozing from her body. “Come at me, Ghirahim.”

Gritting my teeth, I pushed other thoughts to the back of my mind. She was not going to make this easy.

 

* * *

 

I had to win. I needed to. I was still too afraid to tell him that I was Kallen. Sooner or later he would begin to notice the similarities, but until then let him keep wondering.

Batting his sword to the side, I spun out of his reach. He was not going to surprise me like that again. I knew that he knew of my weak spot, but did he know of the others?

The air of fun had been replaced by acute desperation. Why did he want to know so badly?

I caught myself using moves that only my previous life had used, actions that this body was far too weak to pull through. I had to remember the limitations of a more mortal body. Speed was my answer.

As if he read my thoughts, Ghirahim found a way for our hilts to lock. Then he was pushing down, muscles straining as he struggled to force me to my knees. My own arms and shoulders screamed at the pressure, my legs beginning to betray me in lowering me down to the ground. With a grunt, I dislodged my sword from his, narrowly missing the swinging blade aimed for my body.

Rolling to my feet, I attacked again, only to meet his blade and dodge his own attack. I was covered in sweat, my shirt soaked through. No way would I be able to last a fight of this ferocity for long.

I would not lose to Ghirahim. Not this time.

Focused on the blade he was holding, I almost missed the hand that reached out for me. I fumbled, feet tripping over themselves. I fell, but I did not fall alone. My hand grabbed onto Ghirahim’s own outstretched palm, pulling him down with me. We fell with a crash, but I was the one to move first from the mess of limbs we made.

Swinging, I found myself on top of Ghirahim, holding my sword at his throat as he lay there, stunned. I panted, wondering if this would be enough to make him stop. It wouldn’t. We agreed on first blood.

Ghirahim stared at me, waiting for what he knew was going to happen. Motionless, just watching me with a mixture of emotions I don’t think I will ever be able to understand.

Mechanically, I lightly sliced the skin above his collar. Blood welled up, the cut not deep enough to do too much harm. Nevertheless, Ghirahim did not flinch. I dropped my sword with a sigh.

“Will you really not tell me?”

I let myself curl into his chest, tired from the fight and the emotional burden. “I will. But not today. It is not the sort of thing you just drop on someone, Ghirahim.”

He was silent, his hands coming up to hold me hesistantly.

After composing myself, I turned my face up to Ghirahim. He was closed off, contemplative. He was trying to figure out what my secret could be. “You won’t figure it out, Ghirahim. Please be patient, love. I want to tell you, I just don’t know how yet.”

“Does it have to do with me?” Ghirahim asked immediately.

“No,” I paused, “Not directly. The secret is not about you. It is about me.”

His face screwed together, trying to process my words. “Are you not human? Or mortal?”

I laughed quietly, “I am very much mortal. Although I have the blood of a demigoddess, it is so diluted it is worth next to nothing. I am Hylian, and that is all.”

He shook his head, appearing to relax more. His hands began to stroke my sweaty back. “I cannot possibly imagine that whatever you have to say would be that groundbreaking.”

“Well,” I swallowed. “You will just have to trust me that it is. Until then, I would very much like to take a bath.”

Ghirahim sniffed, wrinkling his nose. “I think that would be for the best. Perhaps I could join you?”

Part of me wanted to say no, but at this point there was no way I could. Plus, it sounded like a good stress reliever after this bath. “As long as we actually get cleaned, yes.”

Grinning, Ghirahim kissed my sweaty forehead, “No promises, dear.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Broken Wings. This title has been in the works for several years, and the characters and plot have changed a lot over the years. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the rest of the title as well! This is a collaboration between myself and my friend ChildofCourage on DeviantART, so characters with the names of Linka/Leslie or Furrie belong to her.  
> Thanks for reading!  
> Peggy


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